Tiger Lily
by psychegloom
Summary: While grieving,Rukia has dreams/memories of a past she can't remember.Then she's taken by her husband's killers and forced to join their quest to find a demon,but where has she seen her green-eyed partner bfr, in her memory? SummarySux!GiveIt a try not AU
1. I PromiseI Mean It

**_A/N:_** Okay I know I'm writing other stories and probably shouldnt be uploading this...but I was bored. For those of you expecting me to start PlanB, I promise I will do so sometime this weekend.

Give this story a shot, the summary sux but the story will be VERY interesting. You will evetually find out more about Rukia's past while she was stil alive...and her dramatic life will show to be very similar to that of Romeo and Juliet's. So yeah, it's a love story, a sad one.

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* * *

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_Since the first time I looked into those cold green eyes, I knew, I knew that the past behind them was painful…somber. Hollows are sorrowful souls; that is why they become Hollows, because they die in pain, sorrow, regret, rage. What I did not know, and never imagined, was that I was part of that past, that those cold green eyes devoid of all emotion…were once full of life, and that I had once looked into them with a completely different perspective. That, I did not know, nor did I know that I would one day be standing with him here, at the end of all things._

_That amongst all the fighting between Soul Reapers and Hollows, we'd be standing here, together again. A bond forbidden, star-crossed in every lifetime, doomed never to feel again, doomed to force ourselves to forget, to forget that any of this warmth ever existed. A book can be written about all the things I did not know, like the great power that I truly possessed, the great power that he possessed, our past._

_That I would one day become the secret weapon…that took me by surprise, since I always expected it to be Ichigo, but to know now, that powers existed beyond our wildest imagination, that there were worlds…beings beyond soul society, beings so powerful that we couldn't even fathom their existence. Defeating Aizen was only the beginning, after that everyone returned to their normal lives, years passed before we noticed anything was wrong. Years passed before I began to awake…before I even began to understand the true meaning of my existence…years passed, before I would stand before him like this, with my eyes finally opened…_

"_You already know?" he asked, his eyes usually devoid of all emotion…were brimming with the tears she already knew he would not shed. Rukia nodded in response._

"_You already know…how this will end?"_

"_Yes," she answered, though unlike him, she allowed her brimming tears to shed._

"_And you are willing to go through it all again?"_

"_Yes," she said walking in front of him; she took his hand in hers and squeezed it tightly, "no matter how many times…no matter how it ends every time…I will never leave you, never again," she said, then she crashed her lips to his, in a kiss that shook the entire empty island, and became the center of a raging tornado._

…..

_**Soul Society, 10 years after the Winter War**_

"Renji…I'm getting married," said Rukia; Renji looked surprised at first, but then there was a giant smile on his face.

"Really? Congratulations! It's about time, it's been what? Four years? So when did it happen?"

"He's asking for my hand in marriage this morning," said Rukia somewhat depressed.

"So why are you sad?! You should be happy, is this because of Ichigo because let me tell you that…"

"No, the Ichigo chapter of my life is completely done with, yes it was dramatic…I'm surprised we still talk, but it's not that. I'm nervous…scared…"

"Cold feet? You'll get over it, there's a reason you answered yes."

"Yeah, you're right," sighed Rukia.

"I'll let you get ready then, see ya later…Mrs. Kano," said Renji laughing; Rukia glared at him and he left.

'_Here, hide it in your pocket'_

'_But, it's yours…'_

'_I gave it to you, keep it...'_

Rukia sighed and dropped back on her bed. Those dreams…they seemed so real; whenever she awoke from them she would feel unexplainably nostalgic. There was a little girl, and a little boy, they played together by a lake, then the dream would switch to the moment they parted. He would hand her a musical heart-shaped locket, and they embraced. Two older men pulled them apart and separated them; the girl was taken away in a carriage with horses, and the boy would watch her leave.

She didn't know who those children were, but she felt she had met them before…but how? When? The scenery in that dream was nothing at all like Soul Society, or even Karakura. The architecture of the houses was altogether different. One of the settings was warm, there were fields of flowers, rivers, horses, the mansion was huge, the sun was bright, and there was a lake with a swing. The other one was colder, there were canals, and bridges; the town was small and made of buildings that were pointed from the top. Both places were very different, but one thing they had in common, was that they both seemed to be from a different time period. She had definitely never been to either place before, so why did it all look so familiar?

Rukia snapped out of her reverie and searched through her closet for what she would wear. She changed into an elegant burgundy silk kimono with golden leaf designs and a gold obi. Unlike most kimonos, this one clung to her body and showed off her modest curves. She looked in the mirror and smiled, she knew her fiancé would love this one, it was similar to another one she had worn in front of him, except that this one was more beautiful and elegant. She did her makeup, and managed to successfully get her hair up in a bun with chopsticks.

"Kuchiki-sama, I would be greatly honored if you granted me Rukia's hand in marriage," said the nervous fiancé bowing before Byakuya and the head elder; then he sat up straight again.

"Ashido Kano, Lieutenant of Squad Five, and heir of the Kano clan, you do understand that by taking the title of Rukia's husband, you do not only unite yourself to her, but also unite yourself to the Kuchiki Clan, and as a member you would carry the responsibility of abiding by Kuchiki laws."

"I understand," said Ashido looking very serious.

"Then if you accept the responsibility that comes with this alliance, and vow to give Rukia the quality of life that she received while living with the Kuchiki Clan, I grant you her hand in marriage," said Byakuya; Ashido looked ecstatic; for a moment he lost his composure and almost jumped in joy, but he managed to control himself before he did such a thing.

"Thank you Kuchiki-sama," said Ashido bowing in respect, "and to you Kuchiki-san, I promise to do everything in my power to ensure your happiness," said Ashido looking at her, his eyes intense; she blushed and smiled at him.

* * *

"You were so tense in there," laughed Rukia, she and Ashido were walking through a field of wind flowers in one of the many Kuchiki gardens; this one was the farthest from the manor.

"Have you any idea how intimidating your brother can be?"

"Of course, I've lived with him for sixty years," she laughed.

"I'm just glad it's over, and I got to keep you, " he said; he turned to look at her and cupped her face.

"You say that now, but one day…a thousands years from now, you'll be dying to get rid of me."

"Of course not, you want to know why?" He asked wrapping his arms around her waist; she looked up at him and nodded..

"I worked hard to get you. Getting out of Hueco Mundo, working my way up in society, getting rid of Kurosaki," Rukia winced at this, "and gaining Byakuya's trust."

"Your only real obstacle was Ichigo, you were already part of a noble clan, which made it easier for you to work your way up in society and gain nii-sama's trust, and getting out of Hueco Mundo had nothing to do with me," said Rukia with a smirk on her face.

"But you are wrong," he said tapping her nose lightly, "you left an impression on me since the first time I saw you; I couldn't wait to get back to see you," he said holding her a little bit closer.

"Really?" She asked teasingly as she traced his collarbone with her fingertips.

"Yes," he said brushing his lips against hers without kissing her. His blue eyes looked into her violet ones, and his lips pressed against hers with great intensity. He sucked on her upper lip, then tugged on the bottom one with his teeth to coax them open.

Once her lips willingly parted, he slipped his tongue inside, and tilted his head to the side for better access. She wrapped her arms around his neck and raked her nails lightly on his skin; in response he sucked her tongue into his mouth and his hands lowered to cup her behind. Usually Rukia refrained from such physical contact, but decided to up it another level since they were now engaged. His other hand strayed towards one of her breasts, but he reluctantly pulled away before he got there.

"Damn Byakuya for making me follow his rules," said Ashido obviously very disappointed, "but soon enough my anemone, I will make you mine."

"_It's tiger lily!"_ She heard the voice of a little girl exclaim in her mind; she heard it so clearly…

"Hey, you okay?" Asked Ashido looking at her concerned.

"Oh, yes," she said snapping out of it, "Ashido, why do you call me…Anemone?"

"Because, your eyes are so sad…you do know anemones are some of the saddest flowers, right?"

"Yes, I've heard the myth behind them."

"Why? Does it bother you when I call you that?"

"Oh, no, not at all," she lied, she didn't know why, but it did bother her, "I was just curious."

"Good, I don't want to upset you. All I want is your happiness," he said cupping her face again; she felt like drowning in his ocean blues, she stood on her tip toes and closed the distance between their lips, giving him a gentle kiss.

"I have to go back to work, don't want to upset my captain any more," said Ashido reluctantly pulling away from her.

"Are you going to tell him?" She asked.

"I don't know, we were just starting to get along you know, it's awkward that out of all the squads I could be lieutenant in, it had to be his."

"Ichigo isn't one to keep resentments, if he was he never would have forgiven me," said Rukia.

"Well, if you're so sure, why don't you tell him yourself?" Smirked Ashido; Rukia glared at him.

"Fine! But only to prove to you that Ichigo's not like that," she said crossing her arms.

"Okay, see you later then," he said winking at her; then he left.

"Tell Ichigo?" She said to herself thoughtfully. Could she do that? She broke his heart once…no, ripped it out and stomped on it was more like it; she was surprised he forgave her. Rukia and Ichigo and been in an on and off relationship for five years before she got with Ashido; the offs were not due to relationship problems but rather to distance; she was only able to meet with him certain months of the year. Things were complicated because Ichigo was in school; once he finished college, Ichigo set out to soul society to find her, only to find her in the arms of Ashido Kano.

Ichigo was not one to give up easily, he went through extreme lengths to keep her; he even kidnapped her for three weeks. Byakuya and Ashido set out to find them, and after searching for a long time, found them residing in a village in India. After that incident, she went more than three years without seeing him; she searched for him many times, to talk to him and make him understand, but she never found him. Just a couple of months ago he showed up in soul society, as captain of Squad Five;

She had tried to speak to him many times, but something always came up, that prevented her from doing so. She had crossed words with him a couple of times, but never spoke about the matter. She did manage to bring the subject up once, by saying, "I'm sorry Ichigo, for what I did to you," all Ichigo responded was, "no worries, we're friends right?". But were they? She wasn't so sure, something in her told her that Ichigo wasn't over it yet.

* * *

"Captain Kurosaki, there is someone here to see you," said Momo from behind the door, ever since her break down about Aizen, she had been removed from the position of lieutenant and was now third seat.

"Oh, what? Let them in," said Ichigo sitting up, he had been falling asleep on his paperwork. Ichigo fixed the papers, and when he looked up, almost dropped them again in surprise.

"Kuchiki-san, please come in," he said; Rukia winced at that, 'Kuchiki-san'?

"Captain Kurosaki," she said bowing; she took a seat in front of him.

"Does Captain Kuchiki have papers he wants me to sign?"

"What? Oh, no, that's not why I'm here," she said looking down nervously.

"Then, is there something I can help you with?"

"No, I mean, yes, I came to give you and invitation," said Rukia handing him an envelope.

"An invitation? You birthday already?" He asked surprised.

"No, it's a wedding invitation, to my wedding," she said; he stared hard at her for a couple of awkward seconds; then he sighed and smiled at her.

"I'll see if I can make it."

"Thank you, that would mean a lot to me Ichigo," she said excitedly; she reached out to shake his hand and threw his inkpot on his chest. "Oh I am so sorry!" She said mortified; she rushed over to him and helped him clean it with her handkerchief.

"No it's all right Rukia, really," he said; she looked up at him pleasantly surprised.

"What is it?" He asked, blushing at their close proximity.

"You called me Rukia, you haven't called me that in four years," she said happily. That was all it took; his hand went to the back of her neck, pulling her in for a heated kiss. His tongue immediately darted inside her mouth, she attempted to push him away, but after a while her arms wrapped around him. He bit her, and she smacked his chest; he smirked and bit her again, but this time on the chin, eagerly making his way down her neck. She sighed a she arched her neck, but then her eyes widened and she pushed him away.

"No, we can't."

"Why?" He asked reaching for her again, but she smacked his hand away.

"Because, I love Ashido, and I'm going to marry him."

"No you don't, you're still confused, you never tried to run away when I kidnapped you, in fact, I don't think it qualifies as a kidnap since you were there willingly, you could have left at any moment. And right now, when you kissed me, it was the same, just like when we were together, nothing has changed, admit it."

"You, you, you're a big fat liar! I don't even know why I'm still listening to you. It was a mistake inviting you to my wedding."

"Don't worry midget, you won't have to invite me, because the day you get married it will be to me and I will be there as the groom!"

"Argh you're so damn cocky! That's the big difference between you and Ashido you know, he treats me like a lady, and you…you only treated me like some snotty brat!"

"You never complained before, admit it, you're only making up excuses to convince yourself that Ashido's better than me!"

"Argh I don't have to put up with this!" Said Rukia furiously throwing her hands in the air and marching out of his office; as she was walking out she bumped into someone and almost fell, but that same person caught her. She looked up and smiled when she saw it was Ashido.

"Be careful."

"Sorry," she said blushing as he let go of her.

"So how did it go?"

"Just to be safe, stay away from him for a while," she said laughing nervously.

"I'll keep that in mind, oh, I ran into Byakuya, he said to deliver these papers to captain Kurotsuchi," he said handing her some papers, "by the way, I told captain Ukitake; he said he would be honored to attend."

"I'm glad," said Rukia smiling at him; she gave him a brief peck on the lips then left quickly.

* * *

Upon entering Kurotsuchi's office, she noted that he had remodeled. The waiting room was vast, and there was a piano in a corner of a room. She found it odd that there was no one there.

"Hello, is anybody here?" She asked; then she looked over at the piano curiously. She placed the papers on top of the piano then sat in front of it.

"Let's see, would they mind?" She asked herself as she looked around. They wouldn't mind would they? She looked down at the key boards and started playing; she was surprised to find that she could actually play it. The melody was one she had in her mind since her childhood, though she didn't remember ever hearing it. She found it even more odd that she knew the lyrics to it.

"I'll go away till there's no one around, then leave your house when the sun goes down," she began to sing, "you'll be gone for one more day…" a montage of images displayed themselves in her mind, the same ones that had been plaguing her dreams, images of the little girl and the little boy, "you were right this place is haunted, change the locks we are unwanted, drown me in your heart-shaped locket, store me in your fur coat pocket, you'll be gone for one more year…"

"Bravo!" Said Mayuri Kurotsuchi walking inside, clapping; he looked at her with uncanny fascination, "I had the pleasure of hearing him play the melody, but I never did get to hear the lyrics…"

"Him? Who is 'him'?"

"Of course, it is only expected that he let you know what the lyrics were, since…well, they were for you," said Mayuri completely disregarding her question.

"Captain Kurotsuchi, what are you talking about?" Asked Rukia as she stood up; Mayuri walked over to her watching her closely.

"The truth is near Anemone, beware, for when you have found it death will come briskly, tiger lily, " he took the papers from the top of the piano and walked away, "oh and, congratulations on your wedding lieutenant Kuchiki."

* * *

"What do you expect me to do about it?" Asked Byakuya, he was standing in front his bedroom window looking intently at a heart-shaped locket in his hand, "do you expect me to tell her the truth?"

"Of course not Bya-kun, Rukia-chan has to remember on her own, we'll just have to…help her remember," said a man in a cloak, sitting on a chair inside the room.

"What do you plan on doing…to make her remember?"

"Ya sure are a curious one aren't ya Bya-kun, don't ya know this is none of your business, this concerns the lucky seven. It's up to us now since the other three died."

"I presume, Ulquiorra is in on this now," said Byakuya.

"Of course, but he doesn't know the truth yet, and even if he remembered, ya wouldn't have to worry Bya-kun, his heart isn't with him anymore…he had it ripped out over a century ago…when it all happened."

"And you wouldn't happen to know where that heart is…would you?"

"Of course, you're lookin' at it Bya-kun, it's that locket in your hands," said the cloaked figure taking off the hood, revealing himself to be no other than Gin Ichimaru.


	2. In A Shallow Sleep

A/N: Wow. I was so surprised to see that amount of reviews for the first chapter. I honestly didn't think ppl would be into this story, I myself like it a lot, but I didn't think it'd be so popular. But of course, the surprise is a good one, thank you for reading!

BTW, as someone already pointed out, the song Rukia sang in the last chapter is This Place Is Haunted by Devotchka, lovely song I recommend listening to it. Oh, and next time I will reveal my playlist, I have a playlist for every story I write, and this one also has one, so that should be fun.

There was a typo in the last CH. Rukia isn't Ukitake's lieutenant, she is Byakuya's; I've already fixed that.

Anyway, Enjoy and I can;t wait to hear from you!

* * *

_"I heard Urahara say today that when we grown up I'm going to be your husband, that we're getting married…"_

_"Really?"_

_"Yep."_

_"Schiff."_

_"What?" _

_"What's marriage? Father told Mayuri that he's getting married to Masaki next year, and Mayuri was very upset about it."_

_"I'm not sure…I think it's when two people live together forever."_

_"Well that's not so bad, then we could play all the time and no one would tell us anything."_

_"Yeah."_

_"Schiff."_

_"What?"_

_"I want to marry you right now, so I won't have to go back over there another year."_

_"I know, me too."_

…

Rukia opened her eyes and stretched as she yawned. She got up and walked towards the window, the sun was high and the sky was a rich blue, it would be a beautiful day at Sereitei. She sighed and walked over to her closet. She felt so at ease today, so peaceful. Perhaps it was the dream? This time, the little boy and the little girl were sitting by a lake. There were a lot of trees, grass, flowers, and the sun was giving off a pleasant warmth.

Rukia stopped what she was doing suddenly, when she remembered the dream in more detail. There were names this time, the boy's name was Schiff, and he mentioned Urahara and Mayuri…but it couldn't be, perhaps it was her own mind playing games with her, it had to be. It could have been because of her strange encounter with Mayuri three weeks ago, and she had just seen Urahara last week to purchase a couple of gigais for some shinigami in her squad.

Rukia shook off the strange feeling and proceeded to dress herself. She had agreed to meet the rest of the women from the Shinigami Women's Association for breakfast at restaurant in Sereitei. Not wanting to overdress, she decided to wear a casual kimono. As an early wedding present, Byakuya decided to give her this week off, to finish arranging what she needed to before the wedding.

* * *

Upon arriving to the restaurant, Rukia regret not dressing up. It was a first class place, and everyone in there was dressed exceptionally well, even the shinigami women waiting or her there. The looked at her perplexed as she entered, perhaps wondering why she was dressed so casual. She stood up a bit more straight and took a seat next to Matsumoto.

"Morning Ruki-chan!" Screamed Yachiru running so quickly towards her so quickly that all Rukia saw was a pink blur. A second later she was on the floor with Yachiru sitting on her stomach, "Ruki-chan, congrats on your wedding to Ashido-kun!"

"Thank you Yachiru," said Rukia standing back up again and sitting on the chair.

"Two weeks from now…are you nervous?" Asked Momo looking very giddy

"A little bit," admitted Rukia.

"Not after tonight you won't be!" Said Matsumoto with an evil glint in her eyes.

"Why? What are all of you planning?"

"It is tradition in certain countries of the world of the living, that when a male or female is about to be married, members of the same sex show them a night of enjoyable yet questionable behavior. Being the experimental group that we are, we decided to practice this tradition," said Nemu.

"Where do you want to go?" Asked Rukia.

"I've done some research on interesting places to visit in the world of the living, and, I have the list with me, we can choose as a group," said Nanao taking out a list, "there is, Disney World, Las Vegas, Six Flags, Universal Studios, Sea World, Paris, and Chucky Cheese's."

"That's it?" Asked Matsumoto disappointed.

"Yes, well, captain Kyoraku kept on looking over my shoulder, so I didn't have time to find anything else," said Nanao pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Fine, I guess Las Vegas sounds interesting, what is it anyway?" Asked Matsumoto.

"Chucky Cheese's sounds cute!" Exclaimed Yachiru but Nanao stuffed a cookie in her mouth and Yachiru concentrated on eating the treat instead.

"According to this…brochure, it is a city of dancing, drinking, gambling, and cheap sexual intercourse, their motto is 'what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas'," said Nanao reading the brochure.

"Sounds like my kind of place," said Matsumoto.

"What about Universal Studios?" Asked Nemu.

"Let's see…Universal Orlando…it's an amusement park with rides, games…apparently there are also places to dance, dine, and the resort has hotels. It is themed after the production company and it's like being inside their movies."

"Well that sounds like fun, we could even dress up!" Said Momo excited.

"We're not the ones to dress up, the people that work there do…but we could always be creative with our attire," pondered Nanao.

"So what do you think Kuchiki-san, since you're the celebrated one, you get to decide," said Momo.

"Hmm…let's see, Universal studios, that way Yachiru can play all she wants and Matsumoto can drink and party all night."

"I believe you have made a wise decision," said Nemu.

"So, when are we leaving?"

"At five, we'll be there instantly; we'll call Urahara right now to place the gigais where we tell him, and we'll spend the night at their hotel, I'll make the reservations right away," said Matsumoto.

"Okay."

* * *

"What a cute place Rukia-chan!" Said Yachiru happily jumping up and down. The six women were standing in front of the theme park and were looking at it with glee.

"I wanna go on a ride!"

"Lieutenant Ise, since you are the vice president and the closest to president Yachiru, it is logical that you are the one to assist her during the day," said Nemu.

"Yes, you're right. where would you like to go Madame President?" Asked Nanao sighing.

"Over there!" Said Yachiru pulling Nanao away from the others.

"Where should we go?" wondered Momo.

"Hey look, over there, a haunted house, ha! Like there is anything left that can actually scare us, come on bring it on!" Said Matsumoto dashing towards the haunted house as she pulled a frightened Momo along. After they left, Rukia and Nemu turned to look at each other.

"You wanna start with a ride?" Asked Rukia sheepishly, being around Nemu always made her uncomfortable since she was so stoic, she reminded her of her brother Byakuya.

"Yes, that seems fit, since it is an amusement park one must be amused."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Rukia and Nemu got in line for a ride called the Jurassic Park River Adventure, and lasted in line for twenty minutes before getting on the ride. Rukia thought the time spent waiting was ridiculous…but it was worth it, the thrill they got made up for it, it didn't even matter that they got wet.

"That was…that was fun!" laughed Rukia.

"Yes, it certainly was," said Nemu; there was a ghost of a smile on her face. After that one the went on one called Jaws, and another one called revenge of the mummy, before going inside a gift shop.

"Kuchiki-san, do you know what captain Kurotsuchi would like for me to take him?" Asked Nemu holding a doll a bit awkwardly from the leg.

"I'm not sure, but I don't think he would want toys, maybe clothing, like a shirt, a sweater…on second thought no, maybe a mug or something decorative," said Rukia; she was the last person to ask about Mayuri Kurotsuchi's preferences.

"I think I will get him this mug," said Nemu finally deciding, "it is thick and would keep his tea warm."

"Hey, Nemu."

"Yes?"

"There's something I want to ask you."

"Go on."

"Has Captain Kurotsuchi ever…mentioned anything you…about me?"

"Yes, but I do not think it is something that you would be pleased to hear," said Nemu looking through the stacks of bracelets to find one with her name on it.

"Please, tell me. I feel that there's something he's hiding from me, something that's about me and I need to know."

"If you insist, but I warned you that it will not please you," said Nemu still concentrating on finding the bracelet, "he said, that you are a pathetic excuse of a shinigami, and that you have done nothing but disgrace the Kuchiki clan. He does not believe you deserve half of the attention you are given, and that if it weren't for Ichigo Kurosaki, no one would even know your name."

"Oh, he really thinks that about me?" Asked Rukia, now worried about something else entirely.

"Yes, but do not worry Kuchiki-san, I do not share his opinion. One of the abilities that Mayuri-sama programmed into me, was the ability to sense hidden power and hidden potential. You do not have great power, but you could. You are ticking time bomb, and when the time comes, few will be able to compare to you," said Nemu turning to look at her.

"You really believe that? If anything captain Kurotsuchi is right, I'm very average, there's nothing unique about my abilities, I'm not strong."

"I know. But you will be one day, of that I am certain."

"Are you?"

"There is a ninety percent chance that within a year Kuchiki-san will become more powerful than even captain Yamamoto," said Nemu very seriously.

"That's a good one Nemu," said Rukia laughing.

"Choose to believe what you will, I only state what my radar tells me."

"So any luck finding your name?"

"No, and I must obtain it, would you mind if we go look for it at another shop?"

"You go ahead, I found some interesting snow globes I'd like to buy," said Rukia; Nemu nodded and left the shop.

* * *

Once Nemu left, Rukia walked over to shelves of snow globes and looked at each one of them individually, they were different sizes and there were different landscapes inside of them. Then she found one in particular that intrigued her. Inside of it was a mansion, just like the one in her dream, with horses and in the country; when she shook it, tiny leaves swirled all over it and it almost looked like there were rays of sunshine coming down upon it.

She smiled and decided to take this one. She examined it carefully, and almost dropped it at what she saw. There at a window, although small, was an image of a boy with black hair and green eyes looking out the window; it almost appeared like he was waiting for someone. Something about that boy seemed very familiar, had she seen him somewhere? She couldn't say it was the one from her dreams, because she never did get to see what that boy looked like, the images were always so blurry.

Rukia looked back up thoughtfully, and when she did, she almost screamed, there in front of her was a frightening man in white. She recognized him as the Espada that killed Ichigo, and then almost killed him again once Orihime revived him. There was no mistaking him, that pitch black hair, those soulless green eyes, that ghostly pale skin. Since the first time she saw him, she feared him. Since the first time she saw him, he engraved himself in her mind, and there was hardly a dream she didn't see him in...or perhaps not dreams, but nightmares. It was just recently that she stopped dreaming of him, she began to forget about him because of the constant dreams about the little boy and girl.

Just thinking back to those old dreams, she shuddered, dreams in which he stuck his hand inside her chest, and ripped out her heart, his cold eyes looking into her panicked violet ones as he killed her. She never did know what exactly about him she found so unnerving. The only thing clear was that when he was around, the air grew colder, the skies darkened, and an overwhelming sense of loneliness overcame her, she felt empty…hollow, it was like looking at misery itself.

Rukia closed her eyes and shook her head quickly, and when she opened her eyes again, he was gone, had it been her imagination?

"Rukia!"

"AH!" Screamed Rukia jumping back startled; she almost stumbled back on one of the shelves of snow globes.

"What's up with you Ruki-chan?" Asked Yachiru smiling at her; Rukia sighed relieved.

"Nothing, I was just imagining things."

"See, thinking is bad for you, that's why my Kenny is the bestess Shinigami in the world!" Said Yachiru jumping up and down excitedly.

"Sorry if we scared you Kuchiki-san, it was Yachiru's idea to sneak up on you," said Nanao.

"It's okay, are the others with you?"

"No, but Rangiku-san called, she said to meet up with them for dinner. Is Nemu with you?"

"She went to look for a bracelet at another shop she should be back any-"

"I have arrived," said Nemu holding up a bracelet with her name on it.

* * *

After they finished shopping, they met the others at a restaurant called Emeril's. they ate quickly because Rangiku wanted to get back to the hotel and change for a nightclub she'd heard about called the Groove.

"Are you sure I should wear this?" Rukia asked Nemu, they were both in their suite at the Bay Hotel.

"It is very appropriate and alluring Kuchiki-san," said Nemu; Rukia looked at herself in the mirror doubtfully.

She was wearing a beige cocktail dress; it had thin straps and bow of the same color beneath her chest that mad her breasts seem larger and gave her a nice cleavage. The dress went halfway down her thighs, and was ruffled at the bottom edges. Overall the dress was beautiful, but she wasn't used to being so exposed.

"But it shows too much."

"Kuchiki-san, it is not half as exposing as mine, and I am not troubled over it," said Nemu; it was true, Nemu's dress was much more revealing.

She was wearing a black halter dress that exposed her back all the way down to her hips, and also exposed the front all the way down to her navel; the bottom of the dress clung to her hips and was the same length as a miniskirt.

"I suppose you're right," said Rukia; they left their suite to meet the others.

* * *

"You have no idea how glad I am that Yachiru went to sleep before we came here, they wouldn't have let her in, and she would have caused a ruckus!" Said Nanao to Momo half-yelling.

"How about we hit the dance floor?" Said Rangiku to the group of girls. Rukia and Momo didn't look to sure, but they dragged them out anyway.

Rukia felt comfortable at first, they were dancing in a circle which didn't involve anyone else. But little by little the women started disappearing, the first one to go was Rangiku who was pulled out by a muscular man. Next was Nemu, who was taken out by three men. Nanao wasn't very easily taken, but she was taken nonetheless by a handsome lawyer; the only ones left were Rukia and Momo.

"Well they're sure popular with the guys!" Screamed Momo in Rukia's ear so she could hear her; Rukia nodded in response, "don't worry Kuchiki-san, I won't leave you!"

"May I cut it?" It was a very handsome guy about their age; he had wavy blonde hair and hypnotizing blue eyes; he was looking at Momo from head to toe.

"Sorry, but I'm with my friend, she's getting married soon, so we thought we'd take her out," said Momo apologizing.

"It's all right, I'll just call my friends over here then so we can all dance together," said the guy; he called over three other guys, who oddly enough were also blonde; soon, another brunette joined them and the all danced in a group.

Rukia was a little bit stiff at first, but a couple of drinks later and she was a pro. She was now so comfortable that she would turn to random people and danced with them; none of them seemed to mind. She was currently dancing with one of the blonde guys, it was a rave song so she did her best to move to the beat. She was aware that there was a guy beside her and another behind her, but unlike earlier she didn't mind it, it was after all, just dancing.

From the corner of her eye she saw Rangiku dancing with a different man, and she saw her backing up against him as she danced, rubbing up on him. Rukia looked around and saw that it was normal, many other people were doing it too. As she danced, the guy behind her wrapped an arm around her waist, and pulled her closer to him. Rukia responded by backing up against him and grinding herself on him, she wrapped one arm around his neck, and he wrapped both arms around her waist as they danced together.

She found the dance very stimulating, soon, her fingers were threading through his hair, his lips were on her neck, and his hands running down her hips and stomach. He bit her neck, and she gave a slight moan, delighting even more as she felt his tongue sliding from the end of her shoulder, up her neck, and to her ear, where he breather hotly before sucking on her earlobe.

She pulled on his hair, and his hands became more insistent on her body, roaming to places she knew she wouldn't have allowed had she not been wrapped up in this odd trance. Suddenly she had the urge to taste him, to make him feel what he was making her feel, and look at her dance partner's face. She closed her eyes, tilted her head back and bit his chin before sucking on his neck. Her lips were soft at first, gentle, but then she started nipping and biting…yet he made no sound; this disappointed her.

She opened her eyes to look up at him, and her heart stopped. It was him, the Espada, he was looking down at her coldly. She immediately pulled herself away from him and scanned the room for her shinigami companions, she found them, then turned to look back at the Espada, but he was gone, disappeared into thin air.

"Hey Rukia, Matsumoto sent me to tell you to go easy on the dancing, you're getting married in two weeks!" Said Momo, she was very drunk, but Rukia wasn't paying much attention to her.

"I think I'll call it a night, tell the others I'm going back to the hotel."

"Okay," said Momo.

* * *

Rukia was inside her suite, already wearing her nightgown. She stood leaning on the balcony as she looked down at the garden. What was that all about? Had she really seen him all those times or was it only her imagination? But…she even had the mark that proved it. Rukia's hand went to her neck, where she placed it over a red blotch. What exactly was happening?

She went back inside her room, then outside to the garden. She took a seat and dipped her feet in the hot tub. The place was empty, everyone else was probably still dancing. At feeling a familiar presence, she immediately stood up.

"What do you want?!" She asked turning to a pale Espada, but he didn't say anything, "why won't you leave me alone?!"

Wordlessly, he walked over to her and looked down at her neck. She gasped frightened when he put his finger on it.

"It is part of my orders, to retrieve you, Kuchiki Rukia," he said coldly; she backed away from him, "but that will be in another occasion, at the moment, I am here to protect you."

"Protect me from what?!"

"That information is not to be disclosed," he said simply, then quickly vanished, leaving Rukia dumbstruck. She took out her cell phone and looked at her neck, the mark, the only proof that he was ever there, was also gone.


	3. New Moon

**A/N:** Right, so I promised you a playlist, here are a couple of songs: L'arc en ciel, Anemone. My Chemical Romance, Demolition lovers. Matchbook Romance, Tiger Lily. Devotchka, This Place is haunted. HIM, Heaven Tonight.

Well those are just a couple of them, I'll post more next time. The drama wama...yeah I know I'm lame, but I like to rhyme...will begin in CH5

* * *

_Two figures stood staring at a lake, the image of them blurry and unclear. One of them was a girl, her hair fell just above her shoulders and she was short; the other one was male, he was taller than the girl, and had shaggy black hair that fell down to his neck, both were in their teens._

_"You were away longer this time."_

_"I'm sorry," she said turning away from him, her voice just above a whisper._

_"I understand, it's not your fault."_

_"I missed you," she said turning around to face him again._

_"I missed you too." They were both quiet for a couple of seconds; the silence was awkward._

_"You…you look different, more grown up," she said blushing furiously._

_"Really? The others still treat me like a child."_

_"They just like to pick on you, you know how Grimmjaw is," she drew closer to him, their faces were very close now, "you're nothing like the kid I remember, you look so tall, and your eyes they're so-" she cut off quickly and looked away blushing. The fog faded, revealing the girl to be an identical portrait of Rukia Kuchiki._

_"Yes, but you, you never change, you're so short, are you ever going to grow up?" He asked laughing; the fog cleared from his face, revealing him to be a much kinder and joyful version of the Espada Ulquiorra, his skin wasn't so pale, and there was a light in his eyes that made them look caring…_

…

"Hello, earth to Rukia!" Said Rangiku waving a hand in front of her; Rukia snapped out of it.

"I'm sorry Rangiku, I was just-"

"This is important, don't you understand? We need to find the perfect music for your wedding," said Rangiku. Rukia and Rangiku were currently in the world of the living searching through CD's in a music store. They were planning to find a musician they liked, bring them to soul society to play, then erase their memory after they finished.

"I still don't see why we didn't just choose traditional Soul Society wedding music," said Rukia flipping through more CD's.

"I'm telling you, this music is much better. Do you really think Ashido would want a boring traditional wedding?" Asked Rangiku taking out another CD.

Rukia sighed, Ashido, her soon-to-be husband, the man she would spend the rest of her living days with. She loved him. She honestly did, it was stupid that Ichigo even doubted that. He had changed her life completely, took her out of the routine, sure Ichigo had done the same, but Ashido did it differently, while Ichigo did it through screaming and insulting, Ashido did it with warm caresses; he had awoken a part of her that she didn't even know existed. A soft, kind, vulnerable, side.

Her relationship with Ashido was much more different than the one she had with Ichigo. Her relationship with Ichigo was dramatic, passionate, fierce, adventurous, while her relationship with Ashido was peaceful, warm, comforting, safe. After much thinking, Rukia came to the conclusion that Ichigo would always be the love of her life, but Ashido was her true love…the man she was meant to spend rest of her life with.

The difference between both loves? She would always look at what she felt for Ichigo as her first, it was immature, irrational…but pure and strong, a love whose story you tell when you're old and your grandchildren ask for advice on their first relationship, the kind that you never forget. What she felt for Ashido was calm, quiet, a love you wake up to every morning, and welcome as a breath of fresh air, something as strong as the toughest steel but soft as a flower petal, the kind you keep forever. Yes, there definitely was a difference.

"What about me? Where do I stand in all of this?" She heard the voice of a man in her mind; she shook her head, and then wondered… "what would Ashido think if I told him I dream of another…and it's neither him nor Ichigo, but the fourth Espada?" It was now clear to her who the children in her dreams were, that they were her, and him…

She had known for a week now, after seeing him at Universal Studios, her dreams had become more clear, faces, names, were all beginning to reveal themselves. What she didn't know, was how to interpret them, it was absurd for her to take them so seriously, right? They were after all, only dreams, scenes that her brain had pieced together from remnants of her memory, but not pieced together accurately, that much was obvious, if it was meant for dreams to be taken seriously, we would never face our true realities.

"Rukia, hello!" Yelled Rangiku again, waving a hand in front of her.

"What?"

"You keep on spacing out, don't you care what music we get?"

"Not really no, I still think you're taking this much too seriously, all that matters to me is that I'm marrying Ashido."

"Yes, but your wedding needs to be, how should I put this? Magical," said Rangiku handing her a CD, "here, start listening to these," she said giving her a stack of them; Rukia sighed and rolled her eyes at her, scanning the barcodes of the CD boxes under the CD sampler.

"Fine."

She didn't like half of the music she was listening to, but didn't voice her complaints. It was about thirteen CD's later that she found one that intrigued her; she flipped the CD over to see the name of the band, Muse, and the song was titled Unintended.

"You could be my unintended choice to live my life extended, you could be the one I'll always love, you could be the one who listens to my deepest inquisitions, you could be the one I'll always love…"

"Rangiku! This one's perfect!" Said Rukia taking her headphones off; Rangiku walked over to her and listened to it for a bit before putting the headphones down.

"It's beautiful, but, you really think that could be a wedding song?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Because, it sounds…forced."

"Forced?"

"Yes, personally I think it sounds like he's just settling, you know? 'first there was the one who challenged all my dreams and all my balance', that sounds to me like he's weary and tired of mopping around for somebody and he's just using the girl to forget."

"I don't know, it doesn't sound like that to me. It's like, he thought he was in love once, but now that he met this other girl he knows what real love is."

"… I'll be there as soon as I can but I'm busy mending broken pieces of the life I had before'….?" Asked Rangiku raising an eyebrow, "clearly he hasn't gotten over the other girl."

"Don't you think you're reading too much into this?" Sighed Rukia annoyed.

"Nope Rukia-chan, it has to be perfect," smiled Rangiku patting her on the head, and she handed her another stack of CD's.

"Why couldn't Momo and Nemu come instead?" Mumbled Rukia to herself.

"Because Captain Hitsugaya and Captain Kurotsuchi forbid it, remember what happened at that theme park?" Asked Rangiku appearing behind her with a large grin on her face. Of course, how could Rukia forget? It resulted in Momo's deflowering and Nemu's temporary kidnap.

Captain Hitsugaya was furious, as was Captain Kurotsuchi. There were tears, blood, and shattered glass. Captain Hitsugaya nearly killed the blond that poked his Momo and Captain Kurotsuchi tortured the three that kidnapped Nemu, stealing some of their organs while he was at it, luckily they weren't any vital organs. After that, the two girls were forbidden from leaving Soul Society while in the company of Rukia, Rangiku, and Nanao.

"Don't remind me," sighed Rukia.

After much searching, Rukia and Rangiku finally found the perfect song, it was a song by the band L'arc en ciel, which oddly enough, was titled, Anemone.

* * *

"Do ya think you're prepared?" Gin asked Ulquiorra. They were both inside Gin's office in Hueco Mundo.

"Yes. I do have…a couple of questions though."

"Shoot."

"Who in reality is Rukia Kuchiki?"

"Well, ya know very well who she is, Bya-kun's sister of course, a valuable member of soul society, and nobility."

"She is trash like the rest of them. It is futile to waste our time and energy on her."

"Rukia-chan is more powerful than ya think Ulqui-kun, I bet ya you'll be impressed by what she's capable of. Her abilities are dormant, and that is why we need to find that demon-"

"Amaymon?"

"Yeah, that's his name, he will bring it all back to ya."

"When will you tell me the truth? How will that demon awaken our powers? And why must Kuchiki Rukia be protected from the winged ones?"

"Ulquiorra, if I told ya anything about your past, it would make it harder for ya to remember, that has to come to you on its own. Why? Have you remembered something?"

"Nothing in particular, only a house, and a girl."

"A girl?" Asked Gin sitting up more straight and looking intrigued.

"Yes, I do not know who she is, and it does not matter, probably trash anyway."

"Hmm…I wonder how much our dear Rukia-chan has remembered," said Gin to himself thoughtfully.

* * *

_"I forbid you to see or even think about any of them, again especially that boy. From this day on, that family is dead to us, do you understand?!"_

_"But-"_

_"Do you understand?!"_

_"Yes, I understand."_

Why was she crying? She couldn't understand why. As soon as she heard that conversation in her mind, her eyes welled up in tears…she just couldn't understand…why. Rukia was sitting outside of her room. The moon tonight was beautiful, not only was it a full moon, but it was also new; its light illuminated all of Soul Society radiantly. She felt an odd pull from it, as if it were calling her name whispering to her, cradling her.

Rukia stood up and looked up at it intently, she reached her hand towards it, and her skin seemed to glow in its light, making her feel warm all over. How strange. She had never felt it that strong before. Ever since she first learned her Zanpakuto's name, and learned of its abilities, she suspected Sode no Shirayuki had properties that involved the moon. She knew her zanpakuto was of snow; she had even made a comment to Kaien Shiba about her suspicions once; he laughed and patted her on the back, he told her that her zanpakuto was of snow, and had nothing in common with the moon.

Yet…she always felt strengthened by the moon, like that large sphere in the sky was watching out for her, healing her, giving her company, and empowering her. Rukia gazed at the moon, her violet eyes sparkling, the tears in her eyes levitating towards the sky in a silver glow.

"Rukia?" Rukia gasped surprised and turned to see Ichigo standing in the middle of her garden, "Ichigo, what are you doing here?" She asked quickly wiping the tears away from her eyes; he stared at her speechless for a moment.

"You do know your tears were floating, and you were…glowing…"

"What? I think the full moon is playing tricks on you."

"Whatever, so, why were you crying?" He asked walking towards her.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't lie, I saw you."

"It was nothing, I don't even know why I was crying, I guess I'm just a little nervous, with the wedding an all."

"That's a sign."

"A sign of what?"

"That you need to dump Ashido and get with me," said Ichigo smirking; Rukia smacked him on the chest annoyed.

"You're wrong strawberry, I happen to love Ashido very much."

"Do you really?" He asked drawing closer to her.

"Yes, I do," said Rukia; a second later she found herself enveloped in Ichigo's arms.

"I don't believe you. Ashido is just a cute little fairytale…and you're in the mood to play princess," he said cupping her face, "but…I'm pretty capable of playing prince charming. If you give me a chance, it won't be like last time. I'll be more detailed, romantic, just…give me that chance," said Ichigo lowering his face to hers to the point that their lips were merely an inch apart.

"Why are you doing this to me?"

"Doing what?"

"Making it harder for me, don't you realize what I'm going through, I'm trying my best to be the perfect wife to Ashido, to give him all my heart, but you and him have to go and try to ruin that!"

"You want to know why?" He asked; she nodded.

"Because, Rukia, you're doing it to me. You see, I know things about you that you don't even know, and…I know there's something that connects you to me. You'll never be happy with anyone else; I'm just looking out for your happiness here Rukia," he said very seriously for a moment, but after a while he couldn't keep himself from laughing.

"What's so funny strawberry? Do you enjoy that much playing with my feelings?!"

"No, it's just, Rukia, sweetheart, we've grown past that fluffy fairytale shit, I can't believe I said that shit a moment ago. Love really does make you say crazy things," he said thoughtfully, "but I wasn't lying about the fact that Ashido is just a new pet, and about us being destined to be together."

"You really believe all of this is preordained?" she asked rolling her eyes at him.

"Of course," said Ichigo sitting on the floor.

"And how may I ask, do you know that?"

"Masaki."

"Masaki?" She said thoughtfully, it wasn't so much a question for Ichigo than it was for herself.

"Yes, my mother, remember her?"

"Yes it's just…what did she tell you?"

"I just barely remember, but she told me someday I would meet a girl with the saddest eyes I had ever seen, one that reminded me of the saddest flower, and that I should help her, I remember her words very clearly though, 'protect that fragile anemone' I never put much thought into what she said, but then I met you, and I couldn't help but be curious."

"She really told you all of that?"

"Yep, she did, that's why I need to look out for you Rukia, I promised mom I would. I may not know what's going on with you, but I trust you'll tell me when the time is right," said Ichigo turning to look at her, "that's why I know we will always be in each other's lives, even if your marry Ashido. That's why I came to tell you, you have my blessings, I sincerely wish you the best of luck."

"Thank you Ichigo, that really does mean a lot to me," she said smiling at him; he looked hesitant for a while, but then he wrapped his arms around her and embraced her for a long time.

"May everything fall into place for you Mrs. Kano," he smirked; she punched him on the arm playfully.

"You fool, I'm not married yet."

"Oh, but you will be, soon there will be little Rukias and Ashidos running all over Sereitei, what a menace."

"Whatever," she said rolling her eyes at him. And they both remained silent, a pleasant peace between them. Rukia looked up at the moon, it had watched out for her yet again, bringing Ichigo to her when she was in the need for comforting. But she couldn't help but wonder, was Ichigo's mother, Masaki Kurosaki, the same Masaki talked about in her dreams? And if so, could she really have known that Ichigo would meet her someday? Could she have known, then, the truth behind the dreams she was having, now?


	4. Unintended

**A/N:** Okay so I've been busy busy with school, y'all know how that goes. I'm actually supposed to be updating a different story, but I already had this chapter written in mind, so I decided to get it over with. Sorry if there are a lot of mistakes, I wrote this very fast because I'm working on this school paper that's kinda important.

* * *

"Ashido, wait," she whispered gasping as she felt it brush against her thigh.

"Shh…it's okay, I'll be careful…" he rubbed her back gently and planted feather-light kisses on her forehead.

"But…what if it hurts? Is it going to…fit?" She asked; she felt silly about saying that when he laughed lightly.

"Don't worry, I'll go slow," he whispered bin her ear, and waited a moment for her to relax, gently stroking her and kissing her face, "do you think you're ready now?" She said nothing; she bit her lower lip and looked up at him; as soon as she did, her face flushed, and she nodded and looked away bashfully. His lips went to her neck, she turned her head to the side and looked at the moon nervously, a couple more days and it would be full. Here they were in this suite, alone, to think that only hours ago they were surrounded by family and friends.

* * *

**EARLIER THAT DAY**

"We are gathered here today…"

"Can you believe the girl decided to have a modern western wedding? How ridiculous," said one of the female elders of the Kuchiki clan to another woman. They were all gathered at the ceremonial area of the Kuchiki estate for the wedding ceremony.

"I think it was a marvelous idea, traditional weddings can be so boring," said a red-haired woman sitting in front of them.

"And just who might you be to opinionate on Kuchiki matters?" Asked the Kuchiki woman indignantly.

"Hanna Kano, the groom's mother," said the woman turning to look at them, a large smiled displayed on her perfect face; she opened her eyes to reveal sparkling cerulean eyes.

"I apologize-" said the woman embarrassed.

"Don't worry, just know that from now on Rukia is not alone, she has joined the Kano clan by marrying my son, and I will care for her and protect her as if she were my own daughter," said Hannah smiling, but there was a serious look on her face; then she looked to the alter and her face softened at the sight of the couple.

"I Ashido Kano, take you Rukia Kuchiki, as my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in joy and sorrow, in sickness and health, until death do us part," said Ashido looking into Rukia's eyes; Rukia smiled at him as he placed a ring on her finger.

"I Rukia Kuchiki, take you Ashido Kano, as my lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in joy and sorrow, in sickness and health, until death do as part," said Rukia repeating the same words and slipping the ring on his finger.

"If there is anyone who has a reason as to why these two should not wed, speak now, or forever hold your silence…"

"I believe that's your cue captain Kurosaki," whispered Renji to Ichigo smirking.

"There's no need for that, Rukia and I have an understanding," said Ichigo looking over at Rukia and winking; she looked back at him and smiled.

"I pronounce you, husband and wife, you may now kiss the bride." Ashido leaned over to her eagerly and placed a tender kiss on her lips; aware of their audience, they parted almost immediately.

* * *

"Congratulations," said Momo giving Rukia a tight hug. They were all at the wedding reception now.

"Listen, I'm very sorry about what happened at-"

"Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault, besides, I wasn't forced, I wanted to."

"Okay then I guess-"

"Rukia!" Matsumoto rushed over to her and stuffed her face in between her breasts; a few seconds later she let her go and Rukia was gasping for air.

"Thanks (gasp) Matsumoto (gasp)"

"Kuchiki-san! Or should I say Kano-san? Congratulations!" this time it was Orihime; she walked over to Rukia and hugged her tightly.

"I'm so glad you could make it Orihime, did Uryuu come?"

"Yes, he's right over there with Sado-kun and Kurosaki-kun," said Orihime pointing at Ishida, who was carrying a baby in one arm, holding a stroller with a sleeping toddler in it, and screaming at an auburn-haired five year-old to stop jumping around.

"Where's Riku?" Rukia asked Orihime.

"Oh, Tatsuki's watching him, he's been acting up lately, must be because of the incoming baby, he gets jealous every time I get pregnant," she said patting her grown stomach lightly. Riku was Orihime's eight year-old, he was notorious for being the black sheep of the family, and was the product of a teenage mistake, Rukia still remembered the dramatic event as if it had been yesterday.

Nine years ago, when Orihime was sixteen, she was dating a hot college guy named Kai. It seemed like a very serious relationship, and Ishida, who was in love with Orihime, became a depressed wreck. Orihime was so clueless that she never noticed his feelings for her. One night Uryuu was drinking alone at his house, and Orihime went over there to borrow notes from him, since she had been absent for class, once there, Uryuu, kind of, sort of, raped her. It was kind of, sort of, because instead of pushing him away, she lied still and took it.

Orihime said she was in a state of shock, Uryuu confessed his undying love for her, and she felt bad because she didn't feel the same way, so she allowed him to take her to not hurt his feelings. Not much longer after that, Orihime found out she was pregnant; she went into a state of depression, and Kai left her. Ishida took the responsibility as the child's father and provided Orihime with as much support as he could, both financially and emotionally, but Orihime always pushed him away. After much trying, he finally got to her, and when Riku turned two, Ishida and Orihime got married; soon, Orihime fell for Ishida too, and they had been happily married ever since…and started reproducing like rabbits.

"Well I'm sure that son of yours will come around," said Rukia.

"I hope you're right."

"Well?!" Said Rangiku glaring at Rukia.

"Well what?"

"Well are you going to keep that husband of yours waiting, he's over at the table looking at you."

"Oh," said Rukia; she turned to look at her now husband; she smiled and walked over to him.

"Congratulations Mrs. Kano," said Ashido standing up and kissing her; Rukia returned his kiss with much enthusiasm.

"Say your goodbyes to your friends, because in three hours we will be on our way to Barbados," he whispered in her ear as he placed his arms around her waist; then his lips trailed down to her jaw.

"Ashido, not here, the guests will see us," she whined even though she pressed her body against his.

"Get a room," they heard someone say from behind; they both turned around quickly, it was Ichigo.

"Oh, captain," said Ashido bowing slightly.

"Take care of Rukia, all right?" It wasn't a question; Ashido understood this and nodded, "I expect to see you back at work in a week. Kano-san," he said looking at Rukia and bowing in respect, his eyes met hers; then he left.

"I'm surprised he came," said Ashido.

"I'm not, I told you Ichigo wasn't like that," said Rukia watching him as he left.

"Come on, let's go dance," he said grabbing her hand.

* * *

"You should dance with your sister captain Byakuya." A voice whispered in Byakuya's ear as he watched his sister dancing from the balcony outside; he turned around to see a very elegant Yoruichi Shihoin.

"You're here?" he asked surprised.

"Of course, Kisuke wanted me to fill him in on how things were, so I came, besides, I didn't want to miss out on the opportunity of seeing Bya-kun again."

"Don't call me that!" He said annoyed.

"Don't be so serious Byakuya, a grown man such as yourself should be able to tolerate my childish comments," she said; they both stood in silence for a while.

"Does Urahara plan to do anything about the situation?"

"You know Kisuke, he only jumps in when he needs to. He says things are taking their natural course, exactly as they should be, and we should not interfere. You know, we all know, they deserve their revenge," said Yoruichi very seriously.

"I understand, Hisana helped me understand," he said, a hint of nostalgia in his voice; Yoruichi looked at him, took his hand in hers, and smiled.

"I understand why you never got over her, she was an angel…in every way. Did she tell you their story?"

"Yes."

"She really is a tragic one isn't she?" Said Yoruichi looking at Rukia as she danced with Ashido.

"That is why I fear Ichimaru's intentions. I understand if they want their revenge, but, that kind of life, I doubt anyone would want to remember it."

"It wasn't all bad Bya-kun, remember, there was a light…an uncontrollable fire, and that fire, will be what brings Rukia's memory back."

"That fire has been extinguished."

"The heart can never truly be taken Byakuya, remember, if stirred embers can be rekindled into a fire."

"I only hope, that our decision to stay away from their affairs…is a wise one."

"You must have faith in Rukia, from what Kisuke has told me, she's very capable taking care of herself."

"I know that, it's just-"

"Stop right there," said Yoruichi placing a finger over his lips, "I don't want to hear anymore of this, today is Rukia's wedding and it's not fair for you to ruin it with your ugly look of depression. You have all the time in the world to worry about this, but for tonight, let it go, okay?" She asked; he hesitated, but then nodded. She extended her hand to him and he looked at her confused.

"May I have this dance?" But before he could answer she pulled him to her, placed his arms around her waist, and wrapped her arms around his neck.

* * *

"So what's the occasion?" Asked Grimmjaw, he, Ulquiorra, and Gin Ichimaru were sitting by a table wearing white tuxes, and there was a giant white cake in the middle of the table. Gin forced them all to wear party hats. He blew on a party horn before whistling.

"Today is Rukia-chan's wedding," said Gin looking at Ulquiorra expectantly.

"So," said Ulquiorra stoically.

"How does that make ya feel?" He asked, that expectant look still on his face; Ulquiorra merely looked at him with indifference.

"Never mind," sighed Gin, "Grimmjaw, have ya been able to contact Nelie-chan yet?"

"Yeah, but that bitch is crazy, she bit my arm when I tried to talk to her," said Grimmjaw rubbing his arm as he recalled the pain.

"Now now Grimmjaw, don't speak that way about Nelie-chan, she's very important for our plan as well. Not as much as Rukia-chan though, so ya have to try very hard on your next mission Ulqui-kun."

"Why? Trash can be easily swept out of the way."

"I admire your optimism Ulqui-kun, it inspires me so," said Gin grinning; Ulquiorra didn't so much as blink at him, "all right, well I'm glad to see we're all in good spirits."

"So when can we eat the cake?" Asked Grimmjaw annoyed.

"Let's not be hasty, we'll cut the cake when Rukia-chan gets here."

"I'm hungry! All we've had to eat for the past two days is ramen! And there is such a thing called spoiling you know?! And that is what's gonna happen to your cake if you don't let me eat it now!" screamed Grimmjaw furiously as he stood up and pointed a finger at Gin.

"You know Grimm, if you were more distracted, you wouldn't be thinking about eating all the time, came a female voice from outside the door.

"And how do you suggest I do that?" Asked Grimmjaw suggestively.

"By getting your lazy ass up and finding Nel!"

"Ah, Nemu, I'm glad to see you've decided to join us, we missed ya," said Gin; Nemu walked in through the door. There was an evil glint in her eyes, and a mischievous smile graced her lips. She wore tight black leather pants, and a black leather jacket with a red bra underneath.; her hair was up in a messy bun.

"It's good to be back."

* * *

"This isn't fair, you're so light I don't even have to try," said Ashido as he carried Rukia, he, Rukia, and a male servant stepped out of the portal; they stood in front of a breath-taking resort. Rukia gasped pleasantly surprised as she took a look around. There were palm trees all around, a sandy beach, a beautiful turquoise ocean, and the resort itself was glorious, there were pools, bars, and the architecture was very interesting. There were many locals selling fruits and local goods; everything seemed so full of life, such a happy place.

"Come on let's go get our cottage," said Ashido; he walked into the hotel over to the receptionist.

"A cottage for Ashido Kano and his bride," said Ashido; the woman looked from him to Rukia, then back at Rukia.

"Congratulations, I assure you, you will enjoy your stay here, let me just look here…oh, there seems to be a problem here, I can't find your name."

"Rukia, go wait for me in the lobby would you?" Said Ashido putting her down; he gave her a kiss and she left. She walked over to the couches and took a seat' there was a beautiful dark-skinned woman with green eyes and curly brown hair; she was staring at Rukia as if reading into her very being; it scared her a little.

"Congratulations."

"How did you-?" Asked Rukia surprised; the woman raised an eyebrow and pointed at her dress, "oh, I forgot about that," said Rukia laughing sheepishly.

"Child you so nervous you'bout to have a heart attack, tonight's gonna be yo first time ain't it?" Said the woman with a knowing smile on her face and elbowing her on the side.

"H-how did you know?" Asked Rukia flushing a very deep shade of red.

"You'se got that look of a lil child in yo eyes, yo husband's gonna miss it when he takes it from ya."

"Well…I…"

"So scared ain't ya, if you'se so scared, tell him, real love knows how to wait."

"Umm…who are you?"

"S'cuse me for bein' so rude, ma name's Debra, I'm one of da managers here."

"Oh, hi Debra, I'm Rukia, Rukia Kuch-Kano."

"Ain't used to sayin' your new name are ya?"

"I'm afraid not, I'll grow used to it though."

"Rukia, everything's been fixed," said Ashido with a look of relief as he walked over to them.

"My my what a cute husband ya have," said Debra; both Rukia and Ashido blushed, "I'll see ya round Mrs. Kano," said Debra; Ashido took her hand and they walked away.

* * *

"This place is so nice," said Rukia looking out to the beautiful ocean from their cottage.

Their cottage was two stories high, the first floor held the kitchen, the living room, and a restroom. The top floor held the bedroom, and a large bathroom. Their bedroom only had three walls, allowing them a great view of the ocean, and allowing the fresh ocean breeze to enter their room; in place of the missing wall, were two large white curtains that if closed covered the opened space completely. There was a large balcony outside their bedroom with a hot tub, couches, a small outdoors kitchen and even a hammock.

"Beautiful," said Ashido looking at Rukia speechlessly. His wife was wearing a peach nightgown with thin straps that flowed halfway down her thighs, her body bathed radiantly in the sunset lighting, giving her an ethereal glow. He couldn't help himself; he walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, pulling her against his body, his head dipping down to her shoulder.

"Ashido," she gasped in surprise; his tongue had a mind of its own as it ran itself up her neck, his arms squeezing her tighter. He nipped her earlobe, running one of his hands up her stomach, and up to cup one of her breasts; he marbled at its firmness.

"Rukia," he whispered hotly in her ear; she shivered at the pleasantness his husky voice brought her, "I don't think I can wait till night," he mumbled against the skin of her neck; she tried to say something, but her voice came out in a moan.

"It's almost night," she finally managed to say.

"I should be able to wait till then…"

"You don't have to," she said squeezing the hand on her breast.

"I'll be back, I'm gonna take a shower, you wait for me right here," he whispered in her ear, then reluctantly pulled away and left.

Rukia fidgeted around nervously, she had never done this before. What if it was painful? What if she messed up? What if she made a fool of herself? She sat in front of the mirror and brushed her hair. She quickly checked herself to see if everything was in place, and then sat down at the edge of the bed…but should she be on the bed? Would that come off as forward? Should she stand instead? But wouldn't that look awkward? She made up her mind and leaned on one of the walls, looking out the landscape, besides, that was where he told her to wait for him, right?

Just before Rukia considered changing her position again, the bathroom door opened, and Ashido came out with a towel around his waist; Rukia's jaw almost dropped at the sight of his perfect body. He had muscles, but not too many, just the perfect amount, his skin was flawless and looked like porcelain; she watched mesmerized as water droplets made their way down his body, from his neck, down his abs…she had to shake her head to snap out of it; Ashido noticed this and smirked. He dried his hair and body with the towel over his shoulders, threw it to the floor, and walked over to his wife. He cupped her chin, and pressed his lips to hers.

He nipped at her lower lip, and her lips parted, allowing him to roll his tongue inside her mouth, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing her tightly against his body. The heat between their bodies was great; she could feel his hot flesh against hers through the thin silk fabric of her nightgown. Their bodies melded perfectly together, every gap of space between them had been closed, making their burning bodies even hotter. The kiss intensified, and soon Rukia found herself being pulled towards the bed.

He ran his lips down to her neck, his hands eagerly clasping her braless breasts, he could feel her nipples hardening through the night gown, and it intrigued him. He wanted to see them. He pulled away from her, and looked into her eyes; she blushed slightly but did not look away…such innocence, he loved that childish sparkle in her eyes, it almost made him change his mind about taking it away. Both of his hands came up to her shoulders, where they slipped off her straps, running down the length of her arms as he slipped the fabric off her body. Soon, the nightgown pooled around her feet; she gasped, and her hands instinctively went to cover her breasts.

He pulled her hands away, and was in awe at the sight before him. His wife, clad in panties, was the essence of pure beauty. Though Rukia was in no way weak, her form looked slender and fragile, her skin was smooth and milky, and her breasts although small, were round and soft, the pink buds puckering with the chilly night air.

She looked down to the floor embarrassed, and gasped surprised when his lips descended over one of her breasts, and suckled lightly. It felt odd, his wet tongue was sliding over her nipple, and she could not quite discern what she felt, it felt strange, that was one thing she was sure of, and it…tickled, she suppressed the urge to giggle. His suckling became more fierce, biting on her lightly from time to time; she arched against him, the strange feeling in her stomach revealing itself as passion, her hands tugged on his hair, and she moaned.

Pleased by her reaction, Ashido carried her over to the bed, and gently placed her down on it. He removed his towel, throwing it to the floor, and straddled her. He looked in her eyes, then gazed at her entire body; his hands ran up and down her sides, stroking her, touching her everywhere. His lips latched on to the other breast, his fingers slyly making their way towards her panties, hooking to the sides, and pulling them down slowly. Her panties met the floor, and he slid his fingers along her folds, making her shudder; unconsciously she began to buck against his hand. He teased a small bundle of nerves, and she moaned out his name; Ashido was finding it more difficult to control himself as he gazed at her heaving chest, he was ready.

"Ashido, wait," she whispered gasping as she felt it brush against her thigh.

"Shh…it's okay, I'll be careful…" he rubbed her back gently and planted feather-light kisses on her forehead.

"But…what if it hurts? Is it going to…fit?" She asked; she felt silly about saying that when he laughed lightly.

"Don't worry, I'll go slow," he whispered bin her ear, and waited a moment for her to relax, gently stroking her and kissing her face, "do you think you're ready now?" She said nothing; she bit her lower lip and looked up at him; as soon as she did, her face flushed, and she nodded and looked away bashfully. His lips went to her neck, she turned her head to the side and looked at the moon nervously, a couple more days and it would be full.

* * *

**PRESENT TIME THAT DAY**

"You sure you don't want me to come with you?" Asked Grimmjaw, he and Ulquiorra were wearing gigais and staying in a room in the same resort Rukia and Ashido were.

"The mission is simple, kill the groom, take the bride, nothing more than a piece of cake," said Ulquiorra.

"Yeah, just like the one waiting for us on top of Ichimaru's table. You better get her back fast Ulquiorra, I want me a piece of that cake, you think it's chocolate or strawberry?" Ulquiorra said nothing and walked towards the window.

"Hey aren't you getting out of that gigai?"

"No, it helps hide my reiatsu ; I will dispose of it when I attack them."

"Okay, good luck," said Grimmjaw grabbing the television remote and turning it on.

Even in a gigai Ulquiorra found it easy to get into their cottage; he climbed to the second floor balcony and waited patiently, the lights were off, it appeared they were asleep. He opened one of the curtains slightly, to look inside. His stoic eyes lost their impassiveness, and they widened in shock.

* * *

Rukia clasped the sheets nervously and closed her eyes as she felt him part her legs; he positioned himself in between and stroke her hip comfortingly.

"Don't worry, relax," he whispered in her ear, and she nodded. She was thankful everything was dark, it made the situation less awkward since she couldn't see everything too well. As long as she could see his face as she made love with him, the rest didn't matter, "here, it goes," he whispered; she took a deep breath. He placed his erection at her entrance, and pierced through her innocence in one swift movement, hissing at groaning in satisfaction of finally being inside of her.

Rukia wrapped her arms around his neck, and bit on his shoulder to keep herself from screaming. She was a shinigami; she could take the pain, she wouldn't scream, even if the stinging was painful. Although she didn't voice her complaints, Ashido felt her tense; he remained still inside of her, waiting for her to adjust to him. Her rubbed her hip gently, and trailed kisses down her neck. He struggled to control himself , she just felt so good.

"I'm okay now," she whispered in his ear, though she sounded a little bit pained. He kissed her lips briefly, then started to gently move inside of her. This time, she couldn't hold it in, and she let out a yelp, holding on to him tightly.

As the minutes passed, the stinging eased, and she was able to respond to his caresses. She ran her arms up his chest, and sucked on his neck. Delighted to hear him moan she nipped his ear, running her tongue down his neck, and to his chest. As a response to this, his thrusts quickened, hitting a chord inside of Rukia, and very suddenly, she felt lust. Her hips bucked against his, meeting his thrusts, and driving him deeper inside of her. Her eyes hazed, and when she opened them they were a darker shade of purple; she looked into Ashido's eyes and noticed that his eyes were also a deeper shade of blue. He lowered his lips to hers, and captured them in a kiss, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth, and devouring her completely. Seconds later he parted for breath, and his lips trailed back down to her neck.

She turned her head to the side and looked at the moon. There was a male silhouette there, but she was so consumed in passion that her mind didn't quite register what was happening. She was able to focus on the figure's wide green eyes, and looking into them heightened her excitement. She bit her lower lip and moved her body seductively against Ashido's, their hips coming together in perfect unison. She placed a hand behind his neck, and led it to her aching breast; he suckled on it fiercely. With one final look into the figure's stunning green orbs, she looked up at the ceiling, her walls contracted around Ashido's erection, and she arched her back off the bed, hitting her hips hard against his, taking him as far into her as she could. Not much later, Ashido thrust into her, almost violently, and spilled his seed inside of her.

It took them a while to come back down from their high; when it was finally over, he rolled off of her and wrapped his arms around her.

"You okay?" He asked breathing heavily; he traced his finger along her spine. She nodded, buried her head in the crook of his neck, then pulled away to kiss him on the lips.

"I'm just a…a little tired," she admitted giggling as she tried to keep her breathing even; he laughed and kissed her forehead.

"Go to sleep, I won't work you any more tonight."

"You mean you're still…?" she asked looking up at him surprised; he laughed.

"Honey, when it comes to you I'm insatiable, but I won't ask any more from you tonight, you've been through enough. Now go to sleep," he said closing his eyes as he embraced her. She listened to his steady breathing, and was able to tell when he fell asleep.

She kissed his chest, and blushed remembering the night's events. But when she remembered a certain part of it, she gasped; she covered her mouth afraid she would awake Ashido. Had he really been there? Was there really a figure outside the balcony? He couldn't have gone so far as to watch her…right? Rukia quickly shook the though, she had been wasting too many thoughts on that Espada lately, and she would now allow those thoughts to ruin her honeymoon. It was only her imagination, the Espada was not there, especially not looking shocked, that man knew no emotion, it couldn't have been him.

* * *

"Where's the girl?" Asked Grimmjaw when Ulquiorra walked in through the door. He looked troubles, something Grimmjaw found very odd, "well?"

"The timing was not appropriate."

"Why not?"

"She was….with…she was with her husband."

"So."

"You don't understand, she was, _with_, him."

"So," said Grimmjaw carelessly, "they were distracted, it would have made it easier."

"We will do it tomorrow Grimmjaw. And tomorrow, you will be assisting me."

"Fine," sighed Grimmjaw; he flopped down on one of the twin beds and turned off the light. Ulquiorra sat down on the edge of his own bed, and stared at the ceiling. What happened to him back there, it wasn't that her cared, but he couldn't stop staring at her, her body, her eyes.

"That trash has become more troublesome than expected," he whispered to himself; he dismissed the though quickly, and lied down on the bed."


	5. Into The Night

A/N: Okay, so this chapter is much longer than the others, guess it makes up for the lack of updates. Let's see other songs that go with this, Clin Mansell: Together we will live forever, Manna ft Ville Valo: Just for Tonight, Good Charlotte: A ghost of you...

Well, enjoy, and don't forget to let me know what you think!

* * *

_"Yes, but you, you never change, you're so short, are you ever going to grow up?" Rukia grew furious at his words and turned away from him annoyed._

_"Well you're still the scared little-" she gasped when she felt him wrap his arms around her from behind; he buried his nose in her hair, taking in her scent; his bare chest touched her exposed shoulders._

_"I'm kidding, you've changed so much it scares me, in a good way. Since you returned… it was different than all the other times," he whispered in her ear, "when I saw you sleeping next to me…it should have been something I'm used to, but I couldn't stop staring at you..." Rukia tried to say something, but whatever incoherent words were about to form in her mouth, came out in a gasp as he brushed his lips on the side of her neck. She could not describe this feeling, it made her anxious, it made her shiver, it scared her, but in a good way._

…

Dawn was breaking, and Ashido sat beside his lovely bride, she was bare beneath the bed sheets, sleeping peacefully as her chest rose and fell with her breathing. He slipped the bed sheets off and ran a hand down from her neck, to the valley between her breasts, and down to her womanhood. He paused there, looking at her throbbing center, it still quivered slightly from their earlier activities.

With his hand, he wiped off the remains of blood, and wiped his semen from her inner thighs. After he was finished, he lowered his face, sprinkling kisses to her core, she moaned in her sleep; he smiled and delved in. Rukia's body trembled, and even though she was asleep, was hit with a severe orgasm; Ashido lapped up her dripping essence, and held her bare body close to him. After a few moments, he let go of her, and covered her with the sheet; he walked over to the window and watched as the sun rose.

A few minutes later, Rukia woke up with an urge to be filled, her sex throbbing madly, she opened her eyes and stretched her body, grinding down on the bed. Her lustful eyes scanned the room. Ashido was standing by the window, his eyes gazing at the sunrise; he was clad in his boxers. He must not have heard her stretch because he looked surprised when Rukia walked over to him, wrapped in the sheets.

"You're awake," he said with wide eyes as his wife approached him. He noticed her walk was different, there was a swing to her hips that was never there before, and her eyes, they were darker, devoid of the sparkling innocence they once held. She looked older, more serene, confident, the old Rukia was much more insecure, and even though he would miss Rukia the child, he was excited about spending the rest of his life with Rukia the woman.

"Good morning Ashido," she said looking up at him.

"Good morning," he said looking at her through piercing blue eyes, they were so intense, and made her shiver with anticipation. She looked to the floor bashfully, and pressed her body against his. She tilted her head up, and gave his neck a gentle kiss.

"You're not sore?"

"A little," she said looking off to the side as her hand crawled up to his bare chest, "but I don't mind-if you want to that is," she said nervously. Ashido startled her by pulling the sheets away from her body and letting them drop to the floor; Rukia blushed a deep red.

"Of course I want to," he whispered hotly in her ear; he carried her over to the bed and placed her on it gently. Rukia became self-conscious when he ran his eyes all over her body; she looked away blushing.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, lowering his lips down to her neck, and nipping his way down her throat. Rukia massaged his scalp with her fingers, tickling the back of his neck with her fingertips.

"I'm sorry if I hurt you last night," he muttered against her neck as his fingers trailed down to her core, caressing her folds gently.

"But it won't hurt anymore…will it?" She asked, gasping at the sensation.

"I don't know," he said looking into her eyes sincerely.

"Ashido, you're so beautiful, you look like an angel," she said after a moment of looking up at him; she bit his chin and spread light kisses all over his face, his eyelids, then pressed her lips to his. He took this as an opportunity and deepened the kiss. One of his hands came up to cup her breast, while the other ran up and down her side. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he groaned.

"You look different this morning, powerful, manipulating," he said as his lips trailed down to suckle one of her breasts.

"Really?" She moaned out.

"Yes, I'm curious, why don't we try this differentl…" she was confused when Ashido got off of her and sat beside her.

"Ashido?" She asked attempting to hide her disappointment.

"It's your turn to be on top."

* * *

_"And now, the main attraction of the night, The Masked Angel and Tiger Lily!"_

_"You ready Schiff?"_

_"Are you sure about this, what if we get caught."_

_"Don't be such a baby, come on, like we practiced…"_

…

"Ulquiorra, yo, Ulquiorra!"

"What do you want Grimmjow?!"

"You keep on spacing out, I was asking you if you wanna head down to the pool area?"

"We need to remain unseen by the shinigami."

"We'll just hide when they're coming then, come on, let's go out and sun bathe a little huh? What do you say?"

"We are not on vacation."

"Come on, eh?"

"No."

* * *

"Good mornin."

"What?" Asked Rukia snapping out of her daydream. She had been sitting by a table outside in the pool area, when she found her mind submerged in a field of flowers.

"Oh, hi, Debra am I correct?" Asked Rukia recognizing her as the woman met in the lobby yesterday.

"Yeah, Mrs. Kano right?"

"Call me Rukia, well, have a seat," said Rukia smiling.

"Rukia, have ya had a good stay? How was our complimentary breakfast?"

"Marvelous," sighed Rukia content as she recalled how great their breakfast was, she and Ashido had eaten fruit off each other's bodies, and had the deepest conversation in the history of their relationship.

"And yo husband?"

"He got a call from work and decided to see what they wanted."

"But on yo honeymoon? He should'a made'em wait."

"Well, our line of work is pretty…important, it comes first, even before our honeymoon," said Rukia laughing sheepishly.

"As long as ya don't mind," said Debra; then Rukia's eyes landed on something Debra held in her hands. It was a beautiful flower, with shades of gold and orange, and black freckles in the center. Seeing her interest in it, Debra handed it to her.

"Wow, I've never seen such an interesting flower before, where did you get it?" Asked Rukia examining it with fascination.

"Ah don't go an' spoil da flower by telling her that. This flower here's a tiger lily, they grow wild where ma grandmotha lives."

"Tiger lilies…they're so beautiful, no question why one would rather be an exotic tiger lily…than a dull depressing anemone," said Rukia thoughtfully.

"Yeah, they are very pretty flowers. Ma grandmotha says all the women in our family are like tiger lilies, strong an' independent…but I'm not so sure bout that," she laughed, "say, would ya like to come see them later."

"Huh?" Asked Rukia surprised.

"You wanna come to ma grandma's house? She's an interesting' woman, an' I think she'd like ya. Besides, we have one heck of a flower garden; looks like the garden of Eden when the sun is settin'."

"Sure, I'd like that," smiled Rukia.

"So, meet ya here round six thirty?"

"Of course."

* * *

Ashido returned to the gigai he had left in his room. He had left earlier to scout the area, he sensed the presence of a Hollow, and even though it was only briefly, he thought it best if he checked. Once inside his gigai, he left to the pool area where he promised to meet his bride. He found her sitting by a table with a flower in hand.

"Hey," he said bending down to kiss her on the lips before he took a seat in front of her.

"What did Ichigo want?"

"He wanted to know if I was taking care of you," lied Ashido, he didn't want Rukia worrying about Hollows during their honeymoon, he wanted her to have the time of her life.

"I'll have to give him a proper scolding for interrupting our honeymoon when we get back," smiled Rukia mischievously as she reached over to him and bit his earlobe.

"I think I've created a monster," he smirked when she trailed her lips down to his neck.

"I can't help it, you've woken a side of me I never even knew existed," she said pressing her lips to his; their tongues battled relentlessly before they broke apart due to a group of young girls giggling as they passed them. Rukia blushed, she had never been one to publicly display affection before, but ever since yesterday her body had been acting strange, was this what it was like to be in heat?

"Come on, let's take a walk around town," said Ashido standing up and offering to help her up.

* * *

"Mama Luna, I met this nice gal yesterday, and I invited her over," said Debra, she was sitting by a table with her grandmother inside a hut. Even though she was her grandmother, Mama Luna looked surprisingly young, perhaps only in her mid to late thirties. There were grays in her hair, but her face was hardly wrinkled.

"I know darlin', Mama Luna sees everythin'"

"I know I'm not like ya or my motha Mama Luna, but, when I saw that gal, I felt something odd, ya think my sixth-sense is startin' to kick in?"

"Ya always had a sixth sense Debra, an' it's only expected that ya sense such a strong presence, that girl Rukia, she is Anemone," said Mama Luna looking into a large wooden bowl with dark water that was set on top of the table.

"Anemone?! From the story ya told momma and I?! But how's that possible, I thought she died."

"She did, but she was resurrected, killed, born again, then died, and now lives again in the realm of the dead."

"But I thought-"

"I didn't tell ya da whole story, I didn't tell no one the whole story, is too dangerous information for ya to know," said Mama Luna looking into the bowl of dark water somberly.

"Does she know about it?"

"She knows somethins off, but what she know doesn't even begin to touch da tip o the iceberg."

"Are we gonna tell'er?"

"No, we must let it run it's course, we will however, give'er support, she will need it mo than ever tonight," said Mama Luna finally looking up at Debra.

"Why?"

"Because, tonight there is no moon."

* * *

Rukia and Ashido were walking along the streets of the small town, there were vendors everywhere, selling all kinds of food, pottery, and jewelry. Rukia and Ashido went inside a jewelry shop, and Rukia found a silver necklace with beautiful gem that caught her attention, its color seemed strange a cross between purple and green.

"What kind of necklace is this?" Asked Rukia tapping her finger on the glass of the display cabinet.

"Oh that there's an authentic Alexandrite gem, cost you bout fifty American dollars," said a young boy from behind the counter; Ashido looked out the door and narrowed his eyes when he felt a slight Hollow presence.

"So cheap, I'll take it, but are you sure you don't want more money for it?" Asked Rukia surprised.

"Is fine really," said the boy; he handed her the necklace.

"Thank you," she said handing him the money; she took the necklace from him, " hey Ashido, can you tie the necklace for me?" Asked Rukia turning to look at him.

"Oh, what?" Asked Ashido snapping out of his daydream.

"You okay."

"Yes, I'm fine," he said clearing his throat ; he took the necklace from her and tied it around her neck; as soon as it was on, Rukia felt dizzy all of a sudden, but it quickly passed before she collapsed; she shut her eyes briefly to regain her composure.

"So what do you think?" Asked Rukia turning to look at Ashido.

"Beautiful," said Ashido sincerely, the gem complimented her pale skin wonderfully.

"Come on, I want to try scuba diving, I heard some of the hotel staff say it's quite the experience," said Rukia pulling him along and out of the shop.

"Well, done," said Grimmjow coming out of the backroom of the shop.

"Why did ya wanna give that lady that necklace? Where'd ya get such an expensive thing?" Asked the boy.

"You aren't supposed to ask, remember, I gave you money to do what I said."

"But don't you think she'll get suspicious?"

"You're asking too many questions."

* * *

"See, isn't this better than scuba diving?" Asked Ashido a bit out of breath, they were in their room and he was settled between her legs.

"Well that was kind of fun too, except the part where that jellyfish almost stung me," said Rukia nuzzling her head in the juncture of his shoulder and neck.

"Not all pretty things are gentle Rukia, you need to be more careful," said Ashido placing kisses on her closed eyelids; Rukia wrapped her arms and pressed herself against him, closing every gap between their bare bodies.

"I need to get dressed," said Rukia after a little while, pushing gently on Ashido's chest.

"Why?" he murmured against her neck.

"Because, I promised to meet a friend."

"A friend?" Asked Ashido as he got off of her.

"I spoke to one of the hotel manager's today, and she gave me a beautiful tiger lily; she said they grow wild where her grandmother lives, and I'd like to go see. You can come if you want."

"You go on without me."

"You're letting me go by myself," she pouted as she wrapped her arms around his torso and kissed his chest.

"We have the rest of the week, and it's a little awkward for me being the only man in a group of women."

"You're so mean," she said standing up; she looked at him playfully pretending to be angry at him; Ashido couldn't help but scan his eyes appraisingly along her naked body.

"If you don't leave right now, you're going to spend the entire night in here, with me," his eyes were hooded and dark; it was amazing how much lust emanated from them.

"Fine, but I'm very unhappy with you, just so you know," she said frowning at him slightly before smiling; then she headed to the bathroom to take a much needed bath.

* * *

"Oi, you think they'll be out any time soon?" Asked Grimmjow bored; he and Ulquiorra were lurking outside of Rukia's and Ashido's cottage.

"We must carry out the plan without mistakes. I kill the husband, and you keep the woman busy."

"So I can play with her then?" Asked Grimmjow rubbing his hands together, thinking of the possibilities, "it's been a while since I've had a good fuck."

"Kuchiki Rukia will be reluctant to join us after we kill her husband, do not anger her further."

"Fine," sighed Grimmjow disappointed, "but have in mind that I'm only doing this for the cake."

* * *

Rukia was dressed in a yellow sundress and had her hair up in a ponytail. When she walked out of the bathroom she found Ashido, dressed in his night pants, and looking out the balcony with a troubled look on his face.

"You okay?" she asked walking over to him.

"Yes, I'm fine," he said attempting to hide his anxiety, but Rukia still saw through him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm fine, go out and enjoy yourself, just, just be careful, okay?" He said trying the keep his tone light, but the worry in his voice was very clear.

"What is this about?"

"Well, you're very clumsy Rukia, I'm trying to look out for your. The jellyfish incident, what was that about?" Said Ashido laughing; Rukia's look of worry softened.

"I can take care of myself, I'm not a child."

"Sometimes I wonder," he laughed; she punched him gently on the arm.

"I'll be back later then," she said; she stood on her tiptoes and kissed him gently on the lips. Then she turned away and left out the door.

Ashido walked over to the balcony and looked outside, he couldn't see them, but he knew they were here. They had done a good job concealing their reiatsus, but had purposely shown him a glimpse of their true power, to intimidate him, and from what he'd felt, he gathered that they were very powerful, much more powerful than he was. One of them in particular had been following him around, this unsettled him, but he was relieved that the strongest of the two was following him and not Rukia. Ashido paced around the balcony but then stopped.

"I know you're there ," he said, and slowly, but surely, a pale man in white descended to the balcony from the rooftop.

"Why are you here?"

"To kill you," said Ulquiorra stoically; Ashido seemed distressed as he took this in, but then he laughed.

"So this is what it comes down to then," he said laughing bitterly, "all right, but you will leave Rukia alone, understand?"

"Retrieving Rukia Kuchiki is part of my orders."

"I don't care what your orders are! I will not let you harm Rukia!"

"You will be dead in a matter of minutes; there is nothing you can do about it."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Information concerning my mission is not to be disclosed."

"I'm going to die anyway, so what does it matter if you tell me? Consider it one of my dying wishes, I get three"

"And the other two?"

"Do not harm Rukia, and, when I die, let my spiritual particles scatter freely."

"You will not be putting up a fight then?"

"I never said I wouldn't," said Ashido; he popped a mod soul pill in his mouth and exit his body in shinigami form, "come on, you and I, to the end."

_'Goodbye Rukia, and thank you. I die today…the happiest man in the world.'_

* * *

Rukia didn't know why she felt like this, so uneasy; there was a strange pang in her heart, and she didn't know why it was there. She shook off the feeling when she found Debra waiting for her at the pool area.

"Ya ready?"

"Yes, of course," said Rukia.

"All right there?"

"Yes, I'm fine, just a little tired, Ashido and I went scuba diving today."

"Well that's understandable, come on, let's go."

Rukia followed Debra to the outskirts of the town; they stopped in front of a beach house. It was an adorable place, not too large but not too small, and the ocean view was fantastic. Then they walked inside the house.

"Mama Luna? Mama Luna? She must be doin' something in the back hut," said Debra; she and Rukia went out the back door.

Rukia's jaw almost dropped at the sight of the garden, Debra wasn't exaggerating when she said it looked like the garden of Eden. There were large fruit trees everywhere, the grass was lush and green, and it was covered in tiger lilies.

"It's so pretty," said Rukia' she bent down to smell one of the lilies.

"They've been here since ma family moved here," said Debra.

"How long have they lived here?"

"Over a hundred an' sixty years."

"Where did they live before that?"

"America," said Mama Luna walking out of the hut and towards them.

"Hello, I'm Rukia, Rukia Kano, nice to meet you," said Rukia extending her hand towards her.

"Ya can just call me Mama Luna," she said extending her hand towards her; as soon as Rukia took her hand, she felt a jolt of electricity run through her hand, this woman's reiatsu it was…unimaginable, was it normal for a human to have such spiritual energy?

"Come on inside, I'll make ya some tea."

"Thank you," said Rukia; she walked inside.

* * *

"Looks like I don't have to keep her busy, fuck I didn't even need that tracking thing…I still don't know why Ichimaru would got such an expensive necklace though…" said Grimmjow to himself, he was hiding not too far from the house.

* * *

"I should probably get going, it's a bit late," said Rukia they were sitting inside the living room.

"Nonsense, yo husband's got all week wid ya. You're welcomed to go in the kitchen and help yourself to some chocolate cake with strawberry sauce," said Mama Luna; Rukia's eyes widened in adoration.

"Oh my god, how did you…I love chocolate cake with strawberry sauce!"

"Don't know, just guessed," said Mama Luna; Rukia dashed towards the kitchen; once she left, Debra looked at Mama Luna suspiciously.

"What are ya doin'?

"What d'ya mean what am I doin'?"

"Don't think I don't know, you don't want Rukia to leave," said Debra.

"Fine, you're right, but it's for her own good, she's safe here, a few minutes more and it will be over."

"What will be over?"

"The act that will lead to Anemone's impending heartbreak."

* * *

"This bitch is taking too long," sighed Grimmjow annoyed; then he felt a spike in Ulquiorra's reiatsu, telling him he had finished his task. Success. He wasn't needed here anymore, Ulquiorra would take care of it from here, it would have been more fun to tease the bitch a little. On the bright side, he could go to that bar he'd been dying to go to now. Of course, there still was one more thing to do.

* * *

"Bye," said Rukia waving at Debra and Mama Luna; she was already outside the house. She walked towards the resort, and when she was in front of it, the lights went out.

"Great, and I can't even use my kidou," sighed Rukia annoyed; to top it off, it was a moonless night. The hotel staff were turning on the emergency lights, so it wasn't so dark anymore.

A different thing could be said for her cottage, as she stood in front of it, her violet eyes couldn't make out anything in sight; she had to feel around to make her way inside. She went up the stairs and to the bedroom, very carefully; then she heard a thumping on the floor.

"Ashido? I'm back," she said opening the bedroom door, but there was no response, "it takes more than that to scare me you know."

She walked farther inside the room, and even though she could not see or touch anything, she felt a presence standing beside the bed.

"You really want to play this game with me?" She asked smiling mischievously; she unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor, leaving herself clad in a bra and panties, "maybe you just want my attention?" She walked closer to him; once she was in front of him, she grabbed his hand and placed it over one of her breasts; he let out a surprised gasp.

"What's wrong? You're so cold," she said moving his hand over her cheek, and kissing his palm and fingertips, "you're freezing," she said beginning to worry; she wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her head in his chest, he was wearing an opened jacket and could feel his cold skin.

Without saying anything else, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed along his neck, "make love to me, maybe that will make you warmer," she whispered in his ear; she felt him stiffen, "please," she whispered again, licking along the shell of his ear; he tasted different somehow.

Receiving no answer from him, she, lied back on the bed, pulling him on top of her; she wrapped her legs around his waist, and pressed her lips against his throat, "please, take me…" He hesitated for a long time; she was beginning to think he would turn her down, but after what seemed an eternity, his hand lowered to her neck of it's own accord. He left it there for a long time, it made her uncomfortable, but then it moved down, the touch of his fingertips was feather-light compared to the last times he had touched her, but she found she liked it, it was so gentle, so tender, and soft…tracing the column of her throat…her collarbone. When he reached her breasts, he pressed his entire palm over it; his touch was…incredibly powerful, of course it always had been, but this time, this time Rukia was moaning…just that simple touch.

She wrapped her legs tighter around him, and rubbed her sex against his; she could feel the bulge sliding along her hungry crevice, she was anxious to feel what was behind their bothersome clothing. He grumbled deep in his throat. She instinctively arched against him; his palm ghosted over her stomach, barely leaving the sensation of his presence there. He kissed her neck, ever so lightly, and so intense was the sensation that Rukia cried, freaking cried, there were tears flowing down her cheeks, and she was smiling.

"I've waited so long for this…for you," she whispered cupping his cheek; she wished she could see him right now, as she told him this, because somehow, for some reason she felt like she had waited eons to tell him this, like when she spoke these words, an immense weight was lifted from her chest. Like she could drown in the sensation of being with him, like this, and lose herself in the entirety of his being. Reading his skin, his lips, hearing the movement of his heart, the blood running through his veins…the wild beating of her own heart.

"Oh, god, thank you," she cried wrapping her arms around his neck, pressing his body tightly to hers, wanting to fuse their bodies together…just by holding him this tightly. Her breathing was erratic, and as her lips drew closer to his, her breath mingled with his own. Perfect. Had it always been this perfect? Had she ever been this happy? Her lips pecked his lightly, drawing away, and then coming back for another peck, their lips teased each other many times, before finally coming together and intertwining longingly. Every coherent thought had left her brain, their teeth clashed together, their tongues went wild, she wanted to suck him dry, to swallow the essence of his very being into her own…so that he would never leave her side.

He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head; she buried her nose in the crook of his neck. They stayed that way for a long time, it didn't feel right to move, it didn't feel right to change any of this. After a while, when it finally felt appropriate, he pulled away slightly, and wiped her tears away with the back of his hand. He ran his palm down her cheek, her throat, and placed it over her heart, the thumping was erratic, like her breathing, fresh tears ran down her cheeks. He kissed both corners of her lips, lifting both corners slightly, to create a smile; his attempts were proven a success when she giggled. He had never done something this cute…and sweet.

"Come on Ashido, stop toying with me," she giggled, now in a lighter mood; he stiffened.

"I am not your husband woman, now stop this nonsense." That voice…her eyes widened; before she had time to panic, he got off of her, and she sat up on the bed.

"You're…" then the lights came back, revealing the image of the stoic black-haired Espada…and something else…

"Your husband is dead," said Ulquiorra coldly. Rukia's hand went to her mouth, her eyes filed with horror and tears, there, on the ground in front of Ulquiorra, was Ashido's lifeless gigai.

"You killed him! You killed my husband how could you?! You heartless monster! I hate you!" There were a million other things she should and could have done, but she was so filled with rage and sorrow, that she did the first thing that came to mind and punched him on the face. He remained as impassive as before, looking at her lifelessly. Then his hand moved in an incredible speed, and chopped her in the back of the neck, rendering her unconscious. He caught her before she fell, and threw her over his shoulder. But just as he was about to leave out the balcony, the phone rang, and he felt compelled to answer it. He picked it up, without a word, waiting for them to speak first.

"Ulquiorra, ya must leave her there, I remembered something about Rukia…we'll have to give her some time to heal…" Gin's voice was low, a startling contrast from his usual perky voice.

"I understand," said Ulquiorra; he hung up the phone, walked over to the bed, and placed her gently on top of it. Even unconscious…her face was so sad. He took a couple of steps towards the balcony, but then turned back around, and thought twice, but then proceeded to dress her.

* * *

Gin was in his Hueco Mundo office, running his finger over an old marionette.

"I'm sorry Rukia-chan, no matter how much more I remember than the others…I had forgotten how fragile ya actually are."


	6. Careless Whisper

* * *

A/N: Okay, so I'm thinking of changing the title of the story, but I am very bad with titles, do any of you have any ideas?

* * *

_Ulquiorra and Grimmjow were in their dormitory. The room was dark; the only light came from the full new moon._

"_You're not asleep yet?"_

"_..."_

"_Are you still thinking about her?" Asked Grimmjow turning on his side to face Ulquiorra._

"_You have no idea…what seeing her again was like."_

"_You shouldn't think about that, she's the enemy now, it would do you good to forget about her. A lot of girls like you, take professor Yamamoto's niece for example, you know, the one with the large breasts."_

"_That's an infatuation. And, don't you think she appears to have a sort of…brother complex?"_

"_Hmm…now that you mention it," said Grimmjow scratching his chin thoughtfully._

"_Besides, I never said I had, those, sort of feelings for Rukia…"_

"_You don't have to, it's pretty obvious, she was the one you lost your vir-"_

"_We didn't know anything back then," said Ulquiorra blushing, "we didn't know the way society around us functioned, we didn't know about our roles in the universe, and we definitely didn't know anything about…that."_

"_So, when you…what did you think you were doing?" Asked Grimmjow smirking; Ulquiorra glared at him._

"_You wouldn't understand, you were never close to Nemu."_

"_And it's a good thing I wasn't, who knew she'd die, and so young…"._

"_You know, I've always suspected… this all started with Nemu's mysterious death."_

"_Yeah me too; I find it too weird the Lamoreaux family never suspected what we were, and we didn't suspect anything either."_

"_To think that now it will be Rukia's duty to kill me every time she sees me, and I in turn, have to kill her," said Ulquiorra rubbing his face in frustration, "these thoughts are drowning me."_

"_You're both so cute, like puppies," said Grimmjow batting his eyelashes then laughing hysterically._

"_Go to sleep Grimmjow, we have to get up early for tomorrow's seminar."_

"_You're no fun."_

…

"It's been two weeks Gin, don't you think Rukia might be done grieving?" Nemu whispered in Gin's ear, Gin was sitting by his desk in his office, and Nemu was hunched over him from behind, her arms wrapped around him.

"I don't know Nemu-chan."

"You know," she said sprinkling kisses along his jaw, "before I died, I was informed in detail, the history of Anemone and her forbidden lover."

"I already know the story, before she was Rukia, she was Anemone, a Throne."

"Ah, but you haven't heard the story in detail, did you know that they met during the Trojan war? That they faced each other in a battle that almost ended in death? The real Rukia, is very strong; that is why she died, you know, _he_, was the one that killed her," she whispered licking along the shell of his ear.

"Ya think so?"

"Of course, I'm surprised you don't remember all that yet."

"Hmm…I'm surprised I don't remember that. Nemu-chan, ya changed a lot."

"Death does that to you, I want my revenge, I deserve my revenge," she said looking off into space very seriously, then she returned to Gin's neck, sucking and biting on the side; he welcomed her advances and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Ya definitely changed a lot," he murmured as she bit down hard on his pulse point, drawing blood and licking it off.

"You have no idea," she turned the chair around until he faced her, then climbed on top of him, straddling him. She cupped his face and drew him to her exposed neck; he kissed tenderly before ravishing her neck with bites and wet kisses, "you know Gin, when we were younger, I had a terrible crush on you."

"Did ya now?" he asked against the skin of her throat.

"Yes, but thinking we were related, I kept myself away from those feelings, it was because of those feelings…that I drew away from you…and spent more time with him," she said; sensing her moment of weakness, Gin stopped kissing her and held her comfortingly against him, "it never crossed my mind that he was attached to me in that way, I always saw him as my oldest brother, until the day he…"

"Ya don't have to talk about it Nemu-chan."

"I know, but I need to, I need to get this off my chest. I hate Mayuri," she said pulling away from him to look at him, "I hate that he was so selfish, I hate that he did what he did. He should be paying for what he did to me! How the hell does someone like that end up in Soul Society?!" She burst out crying.

"I think Urahara had something to do with it, he and Mayuri were pretty close; Mayuri was his apprentice, and Urahara was the one that helped the rest of us cross over."

"Don't you dare let him join us, promise me Gin!"

"But he's very powerful..."

"I don't care, we'll be fine without him, we have Ulquiorra, we have Rukia, and we have you."

"We don't have Rukia."

"Yet, but we will, she's starting to remember…she'll want answers."

* * *

"Good thing Ichimaru let us have the cake even though we didn't bring the bitch, it would have spoiled you know," said Grimmjow eating cake and walking inside the room he shared with Ulquiorra; he was surprised to see Ulquiorra looking out the window, humming a melody. Grimmjow looked at him oddly and took a seat on the couch.

"Grimmjow, do you remember anything about your past life yet?" He asked, never looking away from the window.

"Just specks of it, why? Do you?"

"Only a portion, but from that, I can draw many conclusions."

"Like what?"

"I know what we are. I had a dream last night, and you were in it."

"That's gross, you didn't need to tell me."

"In this dream, many things were revealed, now I know what to call myself."

"And what is that?"

"Demon."

* * *

"Kuchiki-san, Kuchiki-san you really should eat, Kuchiki-sama's very worried," came the voice of a servant from outside the door, "Kuchiki-san-"

"Leave me alone!" Screamed Rukia from where she was lying down on the bed. She heard some shuffling, then footsteps drawing away.

Two weeks, only two weeks since her husband's death, and already they had the nerve to address her as, Kuchiki-san. Ashido was not dead, she refused to believe he was, he wouldn't have fallen so easy to the espada, she would have sensed something. That espada, that horrible espada, her hate for him burned deep in her veins, she would never forgive him, he had taken the man she loved, he had taken her happiness, their happiness. Rukia didn't know how to feel, what to think, in her there was a blinding rage, a great doubt. She couldn't help but think about the events leading to his death, did he suffer a painful death? How was he killed? What were the last thoughts to cross his mind? He was so young, he didn't deserve this. What made things worse, she felt somehow responsible. If only she would have been there, would things have turned out differently?

She was angry at herself, for being so blind, so stupid, it was obvious something was wrong with Ashido that night, he seemed unsettled, nervous, if only she would have caught on, noticed something. Why didn't she sense the espada's reiatsu? She wanted revenge, she needed her revenge, and she would have it. She would find a way to become stronger than that espada, and she would kill him.

* * *

"There's no doubt that Kano-sama is dead then?" Renji asked Byakuya, they were both observing the training of their new recruits.

"Captain Kurosaki's squad has been sent to scout the area, and they've yet to find anything, no traces of his reiatsu, nothing, only his gigai."

"You think he might have…absorbed Kano-sama's spiritual particles?"

"I certainly hope not."

"Death is a million times better than becoming part of a monster."

"Exactly," said Byakuya, reaching into his pocket, squeezing something, then drawing his hand back out.

"Kuchiki-taichou, do we know the Hollow responsible?"

"The fourth espada, Ulquiorra Schiffer."

"But…didn't Ichigo kill him?"

"It takes more than brute strength to defeat someone like that Espada."

"But this time around Ichigo is stronger; maybe this time he'll finish him for good."

"I don't know Renji, it remains to be seen."

* * *

"Nemu, bring me last Wednesday's research documents from the office," said Mayuri, he was sitting inside his laboratory inspecting Ashido's gigai for evidence.

"Yes Mayuri-sama." a fraction of a second later the documents were in his hands.

"You've gotten much quicker Nemu."

"Why thank ya Mayuri-sama," said the cheerful voice of a man; Mayuri rolled his eyes.

"What do you want Gin, I'm busy."

"That's no way to welcome your little brother."

"I already told you Gin, I don't want part in it."

"Really? Ya don't want revenge? Not even for Nemu-chan?"

"Don't you dare bring up Nemu again, do you hear? She wouldn't have wanted any of this either. My Nemu was not like that."

"Is that so? What if I were to tell ya that I found the real Nemu, she was a hollow, and…she sleeps with me every night," said Gin whispering the last part in Mayuri's ear.

"I wouldn't believe you."

"Ya know, that is a unique scar on her womb, weren't ya there? Did they cut her womb open or did the baby just blast out? It looks like the baby just blasted out, it's more of a burn scar…"

"How did you know that?" Asked Mayuri looking at Gin with a murderous intent.

"If I tell ya, ya won't believe me, ya said so yourself."

"Where is Nemu?" He asked closing in on him with a scalpel in hand.

"She doesn't want to see ya, she hates ya for what ya did to her."

"That's not true Nemu-"

"What? Loved ya? Are ya sure ya didn't confuse brotherly love with the love between a man and a woman? Nemu was terrified. Ya took advantage of her, she didn't know what ya were doing to her, she didn't know about sex…you did, so in a sense, ya raped her."

"No I did not, she let me…" said Mayuri, it seemed more like he was trying to convince himself instead of Gin.

"Ya tell yourself that, ya took advantage of how naïve Nemu was, that's the truth."

"You did not come here to talk about Nemu. What do you want?" Asked Mayuri changing the subject since it was making him very uncomfortable.

"How's Rukia-chan doing?"

"I wouldn't know, she has not left the Kuchiki manor."

"Hmm…I'll have to talk to Bya-kun then, any opportunity to see Bya-kun is a great one," sighed Gin to himself.

"Homo, don't you see captain Kuchiki isn't like you? Why don't you give it up already."

"I'm not a homo Mayuri, ya know I love everyone, woman…man, it doesn't matter," pouted Gin, "besides, I need to talk to him about my dear Rukia-chan."

"Like you care," smirked Mayuri, "if you cared so much why did you kill Kano?"

"It was necessary, he was the leash keeping Rukia-chan to this reality, it was because of him that she suppressed her memories, now that he's gone, she will begin to remember."

* * *

"Let's call it a day people!" Yelled Ichigo to his squad.

"Still nothing," sighed Momo to herself, "poor Kuchiki-san, it must be horrible not to know how her husband died."

"I know, that's why we need to find out," said Ichigo as he and Momo rushed got back into their gigais. He and his squad were in Barbados, searching for traces of Ashido's reiatsu, "so far how are we on evidence?"

"It all points out to the same thing, it seems the espada absorbed Kano-sama's spirit particles," said Momo.

"How am I gonna explain this to Rukia…she's an emotional wreck as it is," sighed Ichigo.

"I'm sorry Kurosaki-taicho, I understand how difficult this must be for you," said Momo holding his hand; Ichigo looked at her surprised, and Momo pulled her hand away blushing.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," said Ichigo; they both parted ways and headed to their own hotel rooms. Ichigo walked inside his room and headed to the bathroom. He took a much needed shower and then turned on the television. He couldn't seem to concentrate on what was on the screen, he knew this would all be too much for Rukia, how would she feel knowing that her husband was eaten by an espada? That he was neither dead nor alive…just living inside an evil being that was using his power to cause nameless evils?

Ichigo turned off the television and went over to the coffee maker to serve himself some coffee. He did not expect to see what he saw when he turned around. Rukia was in front of him, she had Sode No Shirayuki drawn, and there was a deep hatred in her eyes.

"Rukia? What are you doing here?"

"We're going to find him, and when we do, I'll be the one that kills him."

* * *

"Thanks for the sake Bya-kun!" beamed Gin taking sips of sake, he and Byakuya were sitting in Byakuya's room.

"It's Kuchiki-sama to you. What do you want Gin?" Asked Byakuya roughly.

"Why so mean Bya-kun?"

"You have the nerved to ask? Why did your men kill Ashido Kano?"

"It was necessary, my dearest Rukia-chan was too attached to him…it was slowing down our mission."

"I already told you, leave Rukia alone."

"Don't worry, it's Rukia-chan that will come back to us, she wants revenge for her husband's death, and I'm sure Schiff-kun will be more than happy to accept her duel…he won't kill her though, so don't worry about that Bya-kun."

"You are much too selfish Gin, you claim to care for Rukia, but you seem to show otherwise."

"What? And ya care for her? Ya know as well as I that ya only keep her around because of Hisana-chan."

"That's not true."

"They're not the same person, you and Mayuri-kun sure have a twisted way to deal with the deaths of the women ya loved. Mayuri created a cyborg replica and ya kept Rukia-chan."

"That's not why she's here, she is family now."

"No, Bya-kun, her family is with _us_, not with you."


	7. Memory

* * *

A/N: Hello! Well, there's a lot of info in this one, so be alert, I didn't want to keep you guys too long in the dark, so a lot will be revealed in this CH.

* * *

"_Rukia no! What are you doing?" Asked Ulquiorra horrified as he stared at the gory sight before him, Rukia was sitting out in the middle of the blizzard, tearing her large white wings out with a knife. Tears rolled wildly down her eyes. By the time he got there a whole wing was already gone, while the other one was halfway done with, there was a pool of blood beneath her, and she was deathly pale. The sound of snapping bones sent chills up his spine, Rukia…his Rukia was going through so much pain, and she was inflicting it upon herself. Her agonized screams shook him to the point that his eyes were filled with tears and his breath became shallow._

"_Rukia…" he cried running over to her and taking the knife from her hands. He was about to embrace her, but noticed how the bones poking out from her back were still twitching._

"_If only it were that easy," she sobbed looking at her bloodied hands, "if only I could make this go away by cutting them off…if only that would change what I am…"_

"_It's oka-"_

"_No it's not!" she snapped, "I killed him…I killed Kaien, my brother and comrade, and all to protect you!" She screamed glaring at him, "all so he wouldn't kill you! Why should I care if he kills you?! You're a filthy demon-you're the enemy!"_

"_Everything will be fi-"_

"_No it won't! Don't you understand?! I shouldn't care for you the way I do! Why did you have to come into my life?! I thought I was very clear…I told you to stay away, but you won't listen, and now I killed him," she said sobbing uncontrollably._

"_I'm sorry," he said dropping to his knees in front of her; he took her face in his hands and gazed into her eyes; he leaned a bit closer and she tried to pull back but he held her in place._

"_I'm sorry but I can't let you go, I'm so selfish, I know, but…" his breath fanned her lips and she shivered, "but I need you, I need you here, with me," he said running his lips all over her face, "we can make this work Rukia…if we're cautious we can make this work," he mumbled against her lips before claiming them completely._

"_Ulquiorra…" her voice became an echo with the wind as his warmth seeped into her…and ended the raging storm._

…

"_They won't catch us now…" _

Ulquiorra's eyes snapped open, he sat up quickly on the bed, drenched in cold sweat, and panting. Why did it feel so real? Why did they feel so real lately, could it be they were all memories?

* * *

"Nemu-chan that tickles…" giggled Gin, he and Nemu were in his office, playing, when the door of his office opened.

"Ichimaru, I need to speak with you," said Ulquiorra walking in through the door.

"Could ya leave us alone for a moment?" Whispered Gin in Nemu's ear; Nemu nodded and left the room.

"So what brings ya to my humble abode Ulqui-kun?"

"I want the truth. All of it." He said very seriously, his tone a bit dangerous.

"I told ya Ulqui-kun, it's better if your remember on your-"

"I don't care how it's better, I need to know and I need to know now! These vague memories are driving me insane!" Snapped Ulquiorra suddenly, he charged towards Gin, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt, and roughly pushed him against the wall, his green eyes glowing and seething with rage.

Gin looked surprised by Ulquiorra's sudden fit of anger, it was so unlike him to lose his composure, perhaps he was beginning to come around? But even then, it was impossible…the locket, the deal, the curse…

Ulquiorra let go of Gin, shocked at his own actions. He took a couple of steps back and looked at his own hands surprised. He looked back at Gin and bowed his head apologetically.

"Forgive me Ichimaru."

"Don't worry about it, I'm glad ya acted that way, it's a sign that you're close to figuring everything out," said Gin sitting behind his desk and signaling Ulquiorra to take a seat in front of him, "but if ya want to know the truth, ya have to tell me what ya remember first."

"A large plantation, it was warm; there were horses, a lake-"

"That would be Amaymon and Urahara's southern plantation, you, Grimmjow, Nel, Masaki, and Hisana grew up there."

"So Grimmjow is my brother?"

"No, he's not, the only ones that were actually related were Masaki and Kaien, and Hisana and Rukia. Tell me Ulqui-kun, do ya remember what ya are yet?" Asked Gin; Ulquiorra nodded, "and ya remember what Rukia-chan is?" he nodded again.

"From what I have gathered, I was a demon, and Rukia an angel."

"Yes, now that we have that cleared, I think I should start from the beginning. Yer story with Rukia-chan started over three thousand years ago, during the Trojan war. At the time, there were a group of demons toying with humans, making themselves look like gods before their eyes, rejoicing in being worshipped by them.

"It started off as a way to mock the real god, but then it became more serious, they started to interfere in the life of mortals, so much that there were wars. It was then that the heavens decided to interfere, and they sent Rukia-chan to stop it, at the time, Rukia-chan was known as the angel Anemone, an extremely powerful Throne, amongst the ten most powerful warriors of heaven."

"Anemone," whispered Ulquiorra to himself, the name sounded very familiar.

"Her mission was to annihilate Aphrodite and all the other demons that contributed to the long and bloody Trojan war. Most of the demons posing as Greek gods were lower to mid level demons, so the task should have been a simple one…that was until ya came along, you Ulqui-kun, were once one of the strongest demons in existence."

"I was?" Asked Ulquiorra surprised; Gin nodded.

"Yep, part of Satan's cabinet of officials, ruler of the northern regions of hell. It just so happened that Aphrodite was one of your minions, ya never cared much for your minions, but Aphrodite was young, and even though she was only a mid level demon, she had much potential, ya were considering taking her in as your apprentice at the time…and ya didn't want her killed, so ya came to her rescue, and that's when ya met Rukia-chan, I guess ya could say it was love at first blood."

"Who won?"

"You, it was a close call, Rukia-chan was very powerful, she ranked sixth amongst the angels, while ya ranked fourth with the demons. But even though ya won, ya didn't kill her," said Gin looking curiously at Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra seemed to be in the verge of having a revelation.

"… I had never seen anything so pure and beautiful, she was hypnotizing…" said Ulquiorra as if in a trance as the memories of that day came to him in a rush.

* * *

…

**3000 years ago**

"Aphrodite, run!" Screamed Ulquiorra as he got in between his loyal minion and the powerful angel, blocking her sword with his. The blonde beauty nodded her head and ran out of there as quickly as she could.

After she left, Ulquiorra turned his attention to the delicate-looking angel in front of him. She was the most beautiful being he had ever laid eyes on, it was a different kind of beauty, an ethereal one, her features were unlike anything else, so soft yet so exotic. Her large violet eyes looked at him dangerously, but even as she struggled against him, her face showed no despair, it was calm and passive, her chin raised elegantly as she looked at him in disgust. _Because demons were nothing but trash to angels_.

"This is not your battle, you should have not interfered," said the angel, her voice musical and enchanting, a voice more beautiful than any angelical chorus.

"It was not a fair fight, to correlate lower level demons to slaughter them," said Ulquiorra pushing her back; she quickly regained her balance and glared at him, she dropped her sword and scanned her eyes over him.

"What is your name?"

"Why do you care to know?"

"It is only appropriate that I know the name of the filth I am about to kill."

"Ulquiorra, Ulquiorra Schiffer," he said simply; her eyebrows rose in interest.

"So you are not an ordinary demon then?"

"No, and you, what is your name? I assume you are not an ordinary angel either."

"Rukia Anemone, the angel of gravity and snow."

"Fire and ice, this should be fun," smirked Ulquiorra; he barely managed to dodge the thousands of daggers of ice that were flung at him.

"My what an awful temper," said Ulquiorra looking at her mischievously. He winked at her, and she turned a deep shade of red. Ulquiorra's satisfaction was short lived as he found himself inside a freezing tornado, he was surrounded by small ice shards that cut at him everywhere, the ice shards were gradually getting bigger, and would have killed him in a matter of seconds, but fire emanated from his body, melting all the ice and ridding of the deadly tornado.

He didn't give her the opportunity to see what happened, instead he moved quickly, grabbing his sword and stabbing it in her stomach as he rushed past her.

"So fast," she muttered before falling on the floor on her knees. She saw a pair of black shoes, then looked up to see a bloodied Ulquiorra, he was covered with cuts and bruises.

She stood up again, refusing to lose; she grabbed the sword piercing her stomach, and pulled it out quickly, managing to stab him in the arm. He pulled it out almost carelessly, and pushed her to the floor, climbing over her little body to press the sword to her throat. Rukia tried to punch him, but she had lost a lot of blood, her wound was a deadly one, and she was bleeding profusely.

"Looks like in the end my fire melted your ice," he smirked, but then his expression became serious when her cold eyes turned sorrowful, brimming with tears she was unwilling to shed. He watched curiously, as the tears leaked out from the corners of her eyes, and fell down her cheeks as diamonds. He had never met a soul that could cry diamonds. _He had never met an angel that cried_.

"Just kill me already!" she screamed, her body trembling beneath his. But he couldn't…those eyes, there was something about them. Before he knew it his fingers were caressing her face wiping the diamonds away. He looked down at her quivering lips, it was then that he realized she was frightened.

"Kill me, please…" she sobbed; this peaked Ulquiorra's curiosity, what could be frightening this angel more than the prospect of dying? He stared at her, long and hard, her body flushing under his gaze, and that was when it came to him. She was feeling. And it was forbidden for angels to feel emotions other than the love for their creator and the desire for justice, it was deemed sick, it was revolting, it was perverted to feel anything else. Angels that loved, desired, felt anger, jealousy, greed, were deemed dirty, corrupt, many Angels had been punished and expelled from heaven for feeling such things, she was afraid, she was afraid to die tainted. Because she felt…

"Tell me," whispered Ulquiorra curiously in her ear; she shivered, "what am I making you feel," his hand went to her neck, and then glided slowly down to her shoulder; Rukia gasped.

"Please, don't…aaah!" she couldn't contain the moan that escaped her when she felt his lips press against the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Her legs involuntarily wrapped around his waist, and a curtain of snow cascaded around them, hiding them from the view of others. So that was what it was.

Desire…

Ulquiorra looked into her eyes, they were dark and hazy, her cheeks pink, her lips parted as she breathed shallowly. This girl…what was she doing to him? His body felt like it was on fire, even though he wasn't physically emanating any. His face drew closer to hers, and his lips brushed against hers lightly.

"Please, kill me," she whispered against his lips, her eyes slowly shutting close.

"I'm sorry…but I can't," he mumbled against her lips; his eyes drew shut, and his lips pressed against hers, slowly working them open with his own. When her lips were parted for him, he slipped his tongue inside, searching desperately to tangle it with her own. Their tongues danced together perfectly, and Ulquiorra wrapped his arms tightly around her.

After a while he felt her lips come to a halt against his, and he pulled away confused. She had fainted due to her severe wound. Concerned, Ulquiorra picked her up in his arms. He would take her to his Manor and heal her.

…

* * *

**Present**

"Ya remember that part then?" Asked Gin; Ulquiorra nodded still in shock, "the big boys found out, a couple of years later, and the both of ya were ordered to kill the other, which ya did, it was quite the sight, blood everywhere, it was really depressing."

"But that wasn't the end of it, was it?"

"No," said Gin, "ya see, demons and angels, like humans, reincarnate years after they die, they come back with no memory of their past life. So, you and Rukia-chan were brought back during the 1820's, then the real drama began.

"You see, there are different levels of angels, there's the first level, Seraphim, Cherubim, and Thrones, these angels hardly ever become involved with mankind, it's the second level that has a real say about what happens down on earth. The Dominions, Virtues, and Powers. Dominions are the ones that hold the most power, they're in charge of entire nations, they are the ones responsible for our personal hell all those years ago," said Gin with a glint of rage in his eyes.

"What did they do?"

"Naturally, the dominions are the ones in charge of the science department. Your little affair with Rukia-chan gave them an idea. Ya see, they noticed that when you were both…together, your powers grew extraordinarily. So they signed a peace treaty with some of Satan's officials, and both agreed to provide individuals to test out an experiment. Their angels would breed with their demons to create hybrids, five angels and five demons were chosen, the oldest ones were Mayuri who was eight and Masaki who was seven, and the youngest were Hisana and Nemu who were one year old; at the time you and Rukia-chan were both two, Kaien was five, and Nel, Grimmjow, and myself were three."

"How did it work out?"

"Well, it was decided that they would divide us into two families of five, and create a fake family for both groups, these families were created to keep us sheltered from the outside world. The Lamoreaux family was looked after by the angels and lived in some city in France, it consisted of three angels and two demons, the demons were Mayuri and myself, and the angels were Rukia, Nemu, and Kaien. The other family was the Grimsley family, and they lived in Louisiana, it consisted of two angels, Masaki and Hisana, and three demons, Grimmjow, Nel, and you. We were all to be married off when we came of age to the person chosen for us, Mayuri and Masaki, Kaien and Nel, Grimmjow and Nemu, you and Rukia-chan, and me and Hisana."

"What happened then? What went wrong?" Asked Ulquiorra curiously, he wanted to know everything.

"An accident, it was an unplanned pregnancy, one of our girls had a child…it was too powerful, so they killed her and the baby. The Dominions were more inclined than ever to keep demons and angels apart, to stop them from reproducing these monsters, but they had already made a great mistake."

"What?"

"Because of all the experimenting they did on us, we became hybrids ourselves, too powerful for their liking, they needed to keep us in check."

"So they turned both families against each other, ordering them to kill the other," reasoned Ulquiorra.

"Yes," They remained quiet for a moment.

"Is that all you remember?" Asked Ulquiorra.

"I don't remember all the details, only that Kisuke Urahara was the one that helped us cross over to soul society and Hueco Mundo, because if we would have been left to reincarnate, they would have hunted us down all over again, and this time, the angels would have ended our existence permanently."

"Are the demons also after us?"

"No, they abandoned the project once it got too serious, they don't really care if we exist, but the angels do, and that's why they're hunting us down. We need to find Amaymon to help us regain our abilities, and refresh our memories ."

"Who is Amaymon?"

"He was the demon in charge of the project, I'm sure with some persuasion he will help us."

"Then, the Kuchiki girl and I…"

"Yes, you have quite a history together, and yer more screwed than the rest of us."

"Why?"

"You're the only ones that are cursed, as a punishment for what ya did three thousand years ago, you were destined for tragedy in every lifetime, I guess ya could say yer…star-crossed lovers, and ya always will be, no matter how many times ya reincarnate."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **Gawd I've had a horrid writter's block; this was the first story I could bring myself to update, expect others real soon since I'm little by little working on them.

* * *

**3000 Years Ago**

She opened her eyes slowly, to allow them to become accustomed to the light. This was not her room, it was very large, the walls were white, the ceiling made of thick glass; the blue sky was clearly visible above. The bed seemed to be suspended in the air since the base of it was made of glass. The blankets were white and made of very soft material, but it was a different texture from the silky fabric of the blankets at her own manor. '_Is this fur?_' she thought to herself as she ran her fingers through the strands.

She tried to get off the bed, but winced at the soreness of her body. Regardless, she got off the ridiculously large bed, and gingerly sauntered off to the balcony. Outside there were endless hills of snow…the only other thing in sight was the artic blue ocean. Where was she? How was it that she was somewhere in the artic and not cold? She looked down at herself to find she was only wearing a nightgown, it was white, fell down to her knees, and had thin straps. She wore no shoes, and the white marble floor was warm.

The sun seemed warm outside, and there was nothing she wanted more than to bring out her wings and warm up her feathers under the sun. She closed her eyes, and stiffened the muscles in her back to spring her wings out, but nothing happened. She tried again, but in vain.

Giving up, she yawned and stretched her muscles; she winced when she felt a stinging sensation on her entire abdomen, and the rest of her limbs felt like they would give out on her any second. Then it all came back to her, the demons…Ulquiorra. Rukia gasped, was she in his manor? Did he bring her back with him? And what she did with him…

"Agh!" she groaned frustrated. She didn't mean to return the kiss, she was losing blood, she was delusional.

Cautiously, she walked out of the room and was met with a long white hall with numerous doors; it appeared to be endless. She looked up fascinated, the ceiling was made of thick glass and specks of green and purple, it was unlike anything she had ever seen, it almost looked like ice.

After wandering the hall for minutes, she found a spiral staircase, it was wide and seemed to go very far down. The staircase was, like many things in the manor, made of see-through glass, and it disappeared into the blueness of whatever was at the very bottom. She walked carefully, to avoid making noise and because her body was very weak.

After what must have been six different levels, she reached the very bottom. Her jaw dropped. She was in a colossal chamber, there was an array of large pillars of glass, and everywhere, there were amazing carvings of ice. They were beautiful, and many of them were of angels she recognized, one of them being the angel who sired her, Uriel. She placed her hand on top of it, running it along the perfectly carved ice, closely admiring the beautiful work. Her palm felt warm on it; she scrunched her eyebrows together, _warm ice? _

"You know, ice can also be warm," said a familiar voice from the other side of the statue; Rukia saw a hand press against hers from the other side of the ice statue. Once their hands aligned through the ice, sparks of violet and green swirled all over the inside making the statue light up like a light bulb. Stunned, she pulled back, and went on the defensive as soon as Ulquiorra stepped out from behind the statue.

"What did you do with my wings?!"

"They were a mess, I had to put the, away, I'll give them back once you're completely healed. Otherwise you'll run away," said Ulquiorra walking towards her; she took backwards steps away from him.

"How long have I been here? Where am I?!"

"You've been here three days; this is one of my manors."

They stared at each other for a moment, and once her gaze on him became more intense, she looked away bashfully. He noted her embarrassment and took the opportunity to step towards her. She tried to move away but he placed both hands on her shoulders and kept her in place. Panicked she tried to kick him, but she was too weak and he evaded her kicks.

"Relax for me won't you kid?" he chuckled leaning in; she gulped when she felt his breath on her lips. Her eyes became fixed on his lips, and he noticed how the color of her eyes changed, there was a swirl of indigo in them, resembling a raging storm.

"Please, let me go," she whispered, "you don't want this, and neither do I." He looked at her carefully, she looked so vulnerable. But just as his mind arrived to the conclusion that she was weak, the ground beneath them started to trembled; the ice surrounding them cracked and fell to the floor. Her indigo eyes were now a very pale blue, almost white, and she was glowing.

"Release me!" her voice was deep and monstrous, a wave of white energy emanated from her shoulder blades forming the outline of what would be monstrous wings, except there were no wings because he had removed them. Her nails grew larger and her teeth sharpened, her short hair grew long, and her skin more pale.

"Just who are you really?" asked Ulquiorra thoroughly surprised.

"I have already told you before, the angel Anemone, a Throne," her voice came out in a growl, but even though her voice was monstrous, she was still the most beautiful being he had ever seen, the features that were supposed to make her more intimidating, only served to make her more attractive to him.

"I have never heard of you before, you were not there during the war."

"Of course not, I did not exist then, I am only three-hundred, but father did…"

"Father? Who is, father?" Asked Ulquiorra curiously, surveying her body to find some sort of resemblance; then he noticed it, could she really be…?

"Uriel, and mother is Sophia."

"Sophia, princess Sophia?" He asked shocked, now he realized why she looked so familiar, she had her mother's beauty, and obviously her father's strength, she was so young, yet she was already so powerful. Ulquiorra started laughing, and Rukia glared at him.

"What's so funny?"

"It's just…such a small universe. Did you know, your father, was my apprentice, I taught him everything he knows. So he mated with Sophia then?" said Ulquiorra still surprised, to think that if he had not rebelled, he might be this girl's father.

He remembered the day he left, up to this day saying goodbye to his beautiful Sophia was the most difficult thing he had done. It was rare when two angels that joined in marriage actually loved each other, angels didn't make love, they mated, but Ulquiorra and Sophia were an exception. They were engaged, and not long after that it happened, the rebellion, it hurt him to leave her, but he had to do it, he believed in his cause, and he would die by it…only he didn't die, he was expelled from heaven with thousands of others, they were morphed…turned into different beings.

"It's a small universe indeed," he said looking up at the being that was both part Uriel and Sophia, his best friend…and the woman he once loved.

"Mr. Schiffer, who were you before…before you were this?" She asked curiously, slowly powering down and returning to her previous form.

"Part of the royal guard, General Schiffer…" he felt that he needed to pause there, the girl wasn't prepared for the information he would love to give her.

"And you said you knew Father? I've always wanted to know what he's like," said Rukia with child-like curiosity in her eyes.

"You mean you don't know him yourself?"

"Only a little, ever since the war it is forbidden for angels to be emotionally attached, I see my parents sometimes, but always under the supervision of other guards."

"It's gotten worse then…"

"Yes," said Rukia sadly looking down at her toes. Ulquiorra paused for a second, but then looked back at her with a determined look on his face.

"All right then, I'll tell you about the adventures we went on, your father and I."

"Really?" She beamed at him practically jumping with joy.

"Yes, but in one condition."

"What?" She asked a little disappointed.

"You must behave and not try to foolishly escape until you're completely healed." Rukia seemed to think about it for a while, but then she smiled at him.

"Deal."

* * *

**Present**

"Foolish girl, you cannot beat me," Said Ulquiorra surveying her closely. Rukia stood in front of him, zanpakuto in hand, seething with rage.

"Don't talk you filth, I'll kill you! I'll kill you for taking him away!" Screamed Rukia, angry tears flowing down her eyes. Her body was bruised, and she could hardly stand but she would avenge him, she would avenge his death.

"You should've left the fighting to Kurosaki eh? Ulquiorra and I would've both had a shot at him," said Grimmjow, he was watching their fight from the sideline, looking extremely bored.

Rukia thought about it for a moment; perhaps it would have been better to wait for Ichigo. They were both sleeping at Urahara's, and Rukia sneaked in through the gate, she wanted to avenge Ashido's death on her own, but now that she found herself in this tight situation, she knew it would have been better to wait.

Ulquiorra watched her carefully, she wouldn't last much longer, he had inflicted near to fatal wounds and if he did any more damage she would die. He did not want to kill her, Gin said she was crucial to their mission, and apparently the girl was supposed to mean something to him. Supposed to, because he felt nothing, he now remembered their entire story three-thousand years ago, but he only felt anything when the flashbacks came to him in a rush, when they flooded his mind…it was like he was there, reliving it. But once the flashbacks ended, he no longer felt, anything, actually, he returned to being that being that knew not the meaning of emotions. The little creature in front of him became nothing but an assignment again, and he could not fathom how he once felt anything for her.

"You will die if you insist on carrying on this foolish fight." Rukia said nothing, merely glared at him, it became painful breathe, nevertheless talk. She had no more strength, her arms became limp and she dropped her zanpakuto.

"Come with us, and we will not harm you," said Ulquiorra walking towards her and extending his hand towards hers. Rukia flinched back, but Ulquiorra grabbed her and pulled her body against his.

The mere feeling of his strong reiatsu weakened her, and she struggled to keep herself conscious. She looked up at him, the pain of her own failure evident in her eyes; but his eyes lacked all emotion, like always, she gave one last attempt at pushing him away, but he hit her swiftly on the back of the neck, and she fell into a deep sleep.

Ulquiorra watched her carefully there was a glimpse of something igniting within him, for a moment, as he held her, he felt he was back in the past, holding her like he had so many times before, the moon casting its rays upon them through the ice ceiling. Her bare body pressed against his equally bare one, her chest rising and falling with the rhythm of her breathing. She was radiant under the moon…_she belongs amongst the ice, the moon…she should stay here forever, with me_.

"Hey, Ulquiorra!" Yelled Grimmjow; Ulquiorra snapped out of his trance, "we should head back before that Kurosaki guy comes back, not that we can't beat him, but Ichimaru said to avoid as much trouble as possible."

"You're right, let's go," said Ulquiorra, he carried her in his arms, and he and Grimmjow sonidoed away, taking Rukia with them.


	9. Shrouded in Darkness

**A/N:** All right, so I'm doing what I can while in writer's block. Thank you for your suggestions to get rid of it, I appreciate it, special thanks to XBlueSkyX for helping me :D

I apologize if this story is getting a little confusing, I'm trying my best to keep it as forward as possible, I won't be putting any more flashbacks form **3000 years ago**, and I'll be sticking with the 1840's and the main timeline. For those more interested in what happened 3000 yrs ago I'll be posting them as a seperate story.

* * *

"_It was your fault, you should have never come back. Now I could never leave you…"_

**December 1840, London, England**

"What are you doing here?" Asked Rukia furiously, they were in front of a café and she pulled him into an alleyway so no others would see them.

"I had to come find you, I can't stop thinking about you," said Ulquiorra pushing her against the wall and kissing her in earnest. Rukia responded to his kiss, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her chest against his. Ulquiorra bit her bottom lip once before trailing his lips down to her neck, and she giggled.

"Wait, wait no, this is wrong," said Rukia reluctantly pulling him away.

"I know, that's what makes it all that more attractive," smirked Ulquiorra leaning down for another kiss. His tongue slipped in her mouth and she smacked him on the chest. "Ow! What was that for?"

"For having the indecency of waiting two months before coming after me."

"What? But you told me not to."

"Agh Ulquiorra I'm a girl, I'm always going to say the opposite of what I actually mean, you should know that."

"Should I really?" He asked tracing his fingers over one of her breasts before taking the entire mound into his hand.

"Stop…" she whimpered as her eyes drew shut.

"But you just told me girls mean the opposite of what they say," he whispered in her ear seductively before biting her earlobe and kissing his way back to her mouth. Her tongue readily met his, and he pressed his body closer to hers, hoisting her up so she straddled his hips. His mouth went to her neck, and she gasped out for breath as soon as his mouth left hers. She rubbed her sex against his, she was so hungry for him, she could feel the bulge through his pants and a shiver went down her spine.

Ulquiorra couldn't take it much longer, two months without her was too much. He never imagined he would find himself here, coming after her, just four months ago he was fretting nights away in a dorm room with Grimmjow, grieving over the thought of having her as an enemy. Three months ago they became close again, and he got to make love to her every day for a month, then two months ago Kaien discovered them, Kaien was the closest relative to Rukia, so he didn't tell the others about it, but he did take her away from him.

"Rukia…" his voice was hoarse as he pulled away and undid the buttons of the top of her dress and lowered her undershirt enough to reveal one of her breasts. His lips lowered to suckle it, but when he was merely a breath away, she pressed her hands to his chest, pulling him away.

"Ulquiorra, wait, not like this…I don't want to betray Kaien," her voice came in deep breaths. Ulquiorra looked longingly at the milky mound before setting her on her feet again and pulling away.

"You're right, that's what got us in trouble last time," said Ulquiorra clearing his throat and looking away as she buttoned the top front of her dress.

"Yes, more than you can imagine," said Rukia in a voice that was barely audible, avoiding his gaze, "I'm sorry."

"It's all right, no hard feelings, but, will you still allow me to see you?"

"Of course, I…I can't live without you, I need you, now more than ever," she said looking away from him again, "we'll find a way to tell them, to make them understand." She looked so stressed so worried, Ulquiorra enveloped her in his arms and rubbed her back soothingly.

"Don't worry, we have time, we'll think it through first, then we-"

"No, we don't have time, we have to do it as soon as possible!" Said Rukia pulling away to look him in the eye, she looked at him seriously for a moment, but then her eyes lowered bashfully. "D-don't you love me?" She asked, her voice shaky.

"Of course, but, why the hurry? Is something wrong?" He asked worried.

"Just please…hold me, make love to me," she whispered wrapping her arms around him, her lips immediately pressed against his, and they were enveloped in a white aura.

'_I want to be with you forever.'_

* * *

**Present**

"Urahara-san! Urahara-san!" Urahara awoke to the girl's crying early in the morning. He put on his slippers and walked downstairs to the kitchen where he found her sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ururu what's gotten into ya? Why are you crying?" Asked Urahara yawning as he sat by the table.

"Ku-Kuchiki-san is gone, what if something bad happened to her?!"

"Ah don't worry sweetie, Kuchiki-san is fine," said Urahara petting the girl's head, "she's sleeping in one of the-"

"No she's not! She left last night."

"What?"

"Yes, she left through the gate, I tried talking her out of it but…I got sleepy all of a sudden, it's my fault if something happens to Kuchiki-san!" She was frantic, her purple eyes began to glow; Urahara stood up immediately, grasping her by the shoulders and shaking her a little.

"Listen to me Ururu, don't worry, it's not your fault okay? None of it is your fault, what have I told you about getting upset?"

"Urahara-san said it's very important for Ururu to be calm and avoid becoming upset."

"And why is that?"

"Because it can be dangerous."

"Exactly, now calm down, I'll go get Ichigo and we'll see what we can do about this, okay?"

"Okay?" Said Ururu calming down.

* * *

Her hair, it was so soft. Ulquiorra still did not know what prompted him to sit next to her unconscious body and run one of his hands through her hair. They were staying in his room at Las Noches, Ichimaru insisted that she should stay with him, Ulquiorra was not too fond of the idea, but whenever he was around this shinigami he seemed to remember. Her familiar face slowly brought back memories of his past life. Her sleeping face…it was the most magical thing to behold.

Her injuries had been healed, but her body was tired, and she needed to rest. Nemu had changed her into a blue nightdress, she stood out significantly in his entirely white and gray room, _she was the only color_. His eyes subconsciously landed on her breasts. They had been so vivid in his dream, his newly acquired memory. He could still feel the hot slick skin beneath his palms, how it radiated such a pleasant warmth, how soft it was, how it tasted unlike anything else…the echo of her voice, her moans, her breathing, the rapid beating of her heart.

His hand rose to her jaw, and he trailed his fingertips down the skin of her neck, coming down to trace the outline of her collarbone. Maybe he was wrong. Perhaps it wasn't true…he wasn't completely unfeeling, there was definitely something, but that little spark of emotion became lost in confusion. Why was this happening to them? Who were they really? Why couldn't he feel the way he knew he should be feeling? It was as if something was holding him back. Emotions were threatening to overcome him, but they were locked away somewhere and the key to release them was long lost. It was slowly driving him insane, these feelings that refused to resurface, he felt like he was suffocating, they were a burden, he needed to release them, but how? How could he bring himself to feel the feelings he knew he was feeling…but could not feel?

Curiously he tilted his face lower, her face inches from his. Perhaps if he provoked those feelings? Perhaps if he…kissed her? His palm came to her cheek, and he rubbed her jaw with his thumb. He looked at her sleeping face, even though the girl in front of him was the same one from his memories, they looked so different. The one in his memories was happy, life-loving, the girl in front of him looked tired, depressed, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders. His lips drew to hers, and they touched.

That fraction of a second he saw many things, so many images playing rapidly in his head, painful images that he could not put together, but nevertheless pained him. He pulled away from her immediately, he fell to the floor, on his knees, panting, and there were drops falling to the floor. His palm came up to his face, and he saw that he was crying. It was torture, if he would have lingered any longer it would have driven him insane, if this agonizing feeling burning inside of him was love, then he preferred not to feel anything at all.

* * *

"Where is she? You know where she is," said Byakuya accusingly, they were inside the cave Yoruichi and Urahara used to play in as children.

"How did you know I was here?" She asked curiously, she was submerged in the hot spring and he had his back turned to her, his cheeks still a bit tinted from running into her naked.

"That does not matter, where is Rukia? I know you know where she is." Yoruichi sighed and put her clothes back on, then she walked over to Byakuya and they both sat on the floor.

"She left to look for Ichigo, they're both at Urahara's."

"They plan on leaving to Hueco Mundo?"

"Yes."

"We must get her back."

"Relax Byakuya, let her have her revenge, it's not like she'll get far and kill anyone, and you know they would never harm her in return, they need her."

"It is not Gin's group that worries me. There was a Captains' meeting this morning, there have been strange occurrences, and things don't quite seem to add up."

"Really? Like what?"

"For instance, last week a shinigami on duty reported a demon in Shanghai, it was only a minion, but it still leaves suspicion, demons haven't made their presence in the world of the living ever since the presence of the hybrids in the mid 1800's.

"Shortly after that, two angels appeared, they killed the demon, but were shortly killed by a demon of greater power."

"So you think it's happening again?" Asked Yoruichi worried.

"It appears so, the last time something like this happened, numerous humans were put in the middle of things, so many died. They are fighting again, and just like before we are powerless."

"Yes, but if you remember, world war two didn't end everything."

"Yes, but, the hybrids weren't resurrected yet. Now Rukia will be put in the middle of things, that's why we need to find her and hide her."

"Perhaps you're right," she said thoughtfully, "have you…figured out which countries are the ones under control."

"Not as of yet, but I have my suspicions."

"Who's the good guy?"

"That's what I'd like to know, though, something tells me there is no good side. I'm afraid when it comes down to it we will not know who to choose, and when that happens, Soul Society will split apart."

* * *

A/N: Things will be taking a turn from now on, you'll see a more troubled and extremely emo Ulquiorra, Rukia will be a little bitchy and will become more independent and powerful.


	10. Chapter 10

**_A/N:_** So, as you can probably tell, this is not an update, I apologize, I've had one crazy summer, and now that school has begun it is taking up a lot of my time.

I'm not too sure about this story at the moment, I like the couple, and the concept of angel/ demon, but at this point it's to OOC, Ulquiorra is hardly in character, and while some of you probably understand all the different connections from character to character, and between timeframes…well I think it's a little too much.

So, I will do either one of these two things.

1, I will edit it like crazy, and I mean a lot, so much that you would have to read it again from the beginning.

Or 2, delete this story, but post the background story to tiger lily, the one you've had glimpses of but have not been completely introduced to...though it will be slightly more different, to keep Ulquiorra in character.

So which of these two things should I do? I'll let you vote as an audience, either review or msg me.


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